I hate fasting and do it badly. I would like to report that fasting opens my ears to hear God, but that hasn’t been my experience. Nor do the affections of my heart turn more to God. Mainly, I just get hungry, think about food a lot, and count the days until my fast is over.
But recently, while I was complaining about the spiritual emptiness of my little fast, God spoke to me. I had been thinking about how terribly hungry I was and about the butternut squash growing in the garden. I picked a Thai pepper and chewed on it until the heat became unbearable. I wondered why God’s grace didn’t take away the gnawing hunger or bring inspiring revelation.
God seemed to say, “Your hunger is the point! It is the revelation!” It was no audible voice, just this thought appearing out of nowhere. I think it was God speaking.
While fasting, my innermost being longs for food. My five senses become tuned to it. I could smell the toast clear upstairs while working. The sound of the knife scraping butter across the toast intensified my longing. I heard the crackle and crumple of paper and then the wonderful sound of cereal falling into a bowl. I heard Teckla mention she was fixing guacamole, but would have to run to the store to get avocados. I thought of the delightful weight of an avocado in the hand and the delicious creaminess of one in your mouth. All my senses, my mind, and imagination were alive to food.
Well, this shows you the kind of spiritual giant fasting makes me. But here is the point, I think. God wants me, and probably all believers, to hunger for Him this way. Our spiritual hunger should be this gnawing emptiness that cries out for more of Him. This longing for God should tune our nostrils to his fragrance, our ears to his voice, our hands to his anointing, our eyes to his beauty, and our imagination to his majesty.
Hunger breeds gratitude for the merest crumb. I found myself staring with longing at a bag of stale nacho chips on the kitchen table. They looked so good. Almost everything does. Just the presence of food stirred me. Food is good.
So is God. When you are hungry for God, the slightest breeze of the Holy Spirit is delicious and brings joy. Verses in the Bible you had read a hundred times crash into your heart like the voice of God. Every taste of God makes your heart cry out, “More!”
I asked God, “Since I have this great revelation about the importance of spiritual hunger, can I stop fasting a little early? After all I have some spiritual hunger. He just said, “More!” I can hear Teckla cooking. The microwave is humming.
