What is Fasting? – Covid 19 Edition.
President Nelson, the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints asked everyone in the world to fast.
During General Conference, he asked the world to participate in a fast on Good Friday, April 10, 2020. This is historic in that it is the second time in two weeks he has asked for a world wide fast.
These two fasts were for one purpose… relief from Covid 19. The invitation is as follows:
“For all whose health may permit, let us fast, pray, and unite our faith once again. Let us prayerfully plead for relief from this global pandemic. I invite all, including those not of our faith, to fast and pray on Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened and life normalized.”
President Russel M. Nelson
This invitation isn’t just for Mormons. This is an invitation for everyone to join. You probably have a few questions about this fast.
- What is fasting?
- How do we fast?
- Why do we fast?
- What is fasting in regards to Covid 19
All of which I will answer below.
What is fasting?
“To voluntarily refrain from eating or drinking for the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord and requesting His blessings.”
Guide to the Scriptures
Fasting is about sacrifice. You are sacrificing your physical needs for a greater spiritual purpose.
HOWEVER, not everyone can refrain from eating or drinking for health reasons. Examples are pregnancy, breast feeding, diabetes, etc… for people like that, there are other ways to sacrifice, or demonstrate your commitment to the fast. Such us giving up movies, TV, social media, or your phone.
During pregnancy and while breastfeeding, I fast from social media. So far I’d say that fasting from social media is harder than fasting from food and water.
If you don’t want to fast, then accept President Nelson’s invitation to pray this Friday.
How do we fast?
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Daniel 9:3
Like I mentioned above in “What is fasting?”, fasting is refraining from food or drink for usually two meals. Fasting begins with a prayer where you state your intention, ask for guidance, insight, direction, to understand the will of God, or even a miracle. You spend the next 24ish hours focusing on your intention or the purpose of your fast. If you are focusing on your hunger and thirst, then you are missing the point. This is not intermittent fasting for your diet.
The way I’ve always done it is starting my fast after dinner the night before and fasting until dinner the following day. In Argentina people would start their fast after lunch and then fast till lunch the next day.
Why do we fast?
Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
Alma 5:46
The reason we fast is to understand the will of the Lord and nourish our spirits. When we set our physical needs aside, we leave the door wide open for the our Heavenly Father to give us guidance, insight, and direction.
Remember the Bible story of when Esther asked her people to fast for her for three days to give her the courage and strength to talk to the king, her husband? Or the story of when Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights? Satan basically spent the whole time tempting him. At the end of his fast, “angels came and ministered unto him.” (Mathew 4:11)
At the end of a fast, usually we are pretty hungry.
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Matthew 4: 2
What is fasting in regards to Covid 19?
President Nelson asked us all to fast together as a world. There is strength in fasting together. When we find ourselves unified in faith, prayer, and purpose, we are able to access the powers of heaven together!
We are all sacrificing something right now whether it be not working, canceling trips, not spending the holidays with our families, or not socializing. This fast is an opportunity for us to all sacrifice something together. Please take this time to ponder what you can do to contribute to this fast.
“But you decide what would constitute a sacrifice for you, as you remember the supreme sacrifice the Savior made for you, let us unite in pleading for healing throughout the world. Good Friday would be the perfect day to have our Heavenly Father and His Son hear us.”
President Nelson
If we all join in fasting and prayer together, we will see a miracle. I know it. Please join us in this fast so “that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened and life normalized.”
Further Information:
What is fasting:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/fast-fasting?lang=eng
World Wide Invitation for a Fast:
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Catherine says:
What you have written in this post is a wonderful introduction to the ‘people’s of the world’ to come to understand what a fast constitutes and how it has been used in Christian scriptures. Thank you for sharing the exact word of the promise. When he states the ‘he knows it’ then I believe he does. Imagine what he must know about the wider spread pandemic than even the science community knows about long term out comes.
I hope people far and wide will read this.
Thank you.
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