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Learning to Fast

Learning to Fast. August 4, 2013 ICF Dakar Jan Kieviet. OT Examples - Day of Atonement. “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny your- selves, and present a food offering to the Lord. Do not do any work on that day,

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Learning to Fast

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  1. Learning to Fast August 4, 2013 ICF Dakar Jan Kieviet

  2. OT Examples - Day of Atonement “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny your- selves, and present a food offering to the Lord. Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.” Leviticus 23:27 Maurycy Gottlieb – Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur

  3. OT examples - Jehoshaphat Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, [..] Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 Michelangelo - Jehoshaphat

  4. OT examples - Daniel So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Daniel 9:3 At that time I, Daniel, mourned  for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. Daniel 10:2 Briton Rivière - Daniel

  5. OT Examples – Ezra & Nehemia There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. Ezra 8:21 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4 Gustave Doré – Ezra kneels in prayer

  6. Jesus in the desert Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. Luke 4:1 Moretto da Brescia - Christ in the Wilderness

  7. 3 day full fast - Esther “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:1 Rembrandt van Rijn - Esther

  8. 3 day full fast - Paul The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. Acts 9:7-9 Peter Paul Rubens - Paul

  9. Biblical examples summary • Different occasions, purposes and length • Partial or full fast • In groups or as individual • Prescribed and voluntary • So there are more than one practices • But it are always honest people, seeking the Lords presence

  10. Matthew 6:16-18 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.

  11. Matthew 6:16-18 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

  12. ‘When you fasted [..] was it really for me? Zechariah 7:5 Michelangelo - Zechariah

  13. Summary • Fasting is presupposed by Jesus • Fasting is relational; focusing on God • not on people • not on our ourselves • Fasting is relational; coming as we are • Fasting is a spiritual exercise • As a Good Father, the Lord will provide you with what you need

  14. How to fast? General ideas • Fast one day a week • Fast from food (+ …) • Drink only water • Break each fast with a light meal • Try to focus on God not on the physical experience • Continue doing your daily work, but take extra time for prayer

  15. How to fast? 1. 24 hour fast from lunch to lunch • Skip dinner and breakfast • Drink juice and water 2. 24 hour fast from dinner to dinner • Skip breakfast and lunch 3. 36 hour fast from dinner to breakfast • Skip breakfast, lunch and dinner 4. Fasting for longer periods of time

  16. Learning to Fast

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