Life in the Fasting Lane- Cultivating Humility, Obedience and a Heart of Worship

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"Now, therefore, says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm." -- Joel 2:12-13 (NKJV)

Five years ago, as we entered our retirement years, we decided to downsize from a two-story home with more than 3,400 square feet to a much smaller single-story property in a town two hours away. This new property with half the space of our original home would require us to conduct serious purging of many things in closets, cupboards, the attic, and even the garage.

The attic stuff had grown dusty and mildewed, and that low hanging fruit, easy for us to identify as junk, went to the dump first. Then, we discarded boxes that had not been opened for ten years or more! Nostalgic, but also trash. Next, we donated many larger items to resale stores. Out went the huge obsolete dining room table with all the chairs, a server, marble-topped buffet, and lots of dinnerware. In addition, a glassware cabinet full of, (you guessed it), glassware, and tons of smaller furniture items found new homes. Our new "lean and mean" lifestyle held no room for these items that truly felt like heavy, old baggage.

Even today, as we celebrate five years in our new home, I feel a strong prompting from the Lord in my spirit. He is speaking to my heart again to start a new decluttering process. And this time, I feel convicted about how I have allowed things to become idols, like my ever-present mobile phone. And social media. And looking for spiritual gifts instead of actively pursuing a closer relationship to the One who is the Giver of all good and perfect gifts, (see James 1:17). Maybe you can relate? As I prayed deeper into this prompting, I clearly saw how these things and desires have clouded my vision and kept me bound in selfishness and disobedience. Whew!

I believe the Lord has been patient with me and waited until now to give me greater understanding. I see how we can easily get caught up in competition, comparison and performance - the things of this world. In the past, we often worked long hours to pay for the large house and for things to fill the large house. I remember saying to myself, "That's just what we have to do." Yes ... in a worldly mindset. Can you see the pride, disobedience and worship of self, again?

And then, because the Lord loves us so much, He sent Holy Spirit to redirect me. He reminded me of His Word, "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:20-21, NKJV) Once again, He was targeting my heart.

Make no mistake, the house and furniture were not the issue at all! You and I know that the Lord enjoys blessing His children. The problem was my "heart" position. I knew we were on a treadmill but never stopped to consider the reason why. Instead of looking at our Kingdom assignments, keeping our eyes on the Lord and His Love as Jesus taught us by His example, we were caught up in the things of this world. Striving, stress, and struggles, oh my! All this clutter that did not satisfy!

"Now, therefore, says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm." (Joel 2:12-13, NKJV) Indeed, I wept and truly mourned over lost years and hearts turned away from our heavenly Father, but I turned back to Him. I repented and asked the Lord to forgive me for focusing on things that do not satisfy. And I also asked His forgiveness for being an example of prideful strife to those in my family and community.

And then I also realized that fasting is not just a matter of food or nutrition. Maybe you have already considered this idea? True fasting applies to abstaining from many things, things that can easily become idols, like social media, work, material possessions, money, relationships, busyness, the phone, a laptop, and more.

Interestingly, I believe that fasting has a direct relationship with rending. We see the word, "rending", in the Scripture quoted above from Joel 2. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, rend means "to remove from place by violence; to split or tear apart or in pieces by violence." Sometimes, the Lord removes things from our hearts quickly and in a painful way, like ripping off the bandage from a wound. Or, like hauling clutter to the dump!

Through this process, I can look back and see how the Lord's mighty hand was on me for many years. He did not give up on me. He was with me through difficult times. He brought me closer to Him, removing my heart's worldly clutter day by day. And as I prayed, had my quiet time, and deliberately sought Him, I drew near to Him. He waited patiently until I was ready to receive His message of fasting, weeping, and mourning. Now, I understand.

And truly, He cut out my old heart of stone and replaced it with "a new spirit and a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, NKJV) And, I have learned to fast from the things of this world and just be still in His presence. Indeed, we know how to worship Him: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10, NKJV)

Do I struggle sometimes to follow His will? Yes! But how wonderful that I know Him in a different way now. I have an intimately close personal relationship with My Abba Father. And, without a doubt, I can talk to Him anytime, anywhere. I long to hear His voice! I pray continually, and I praise His Holy Name. I worship and honor Him, waiting for His Glory to come.

Will you join me in worship of our heavenly Father?

Questions for Reflection:

1. What baggage, idols, or clutter are preventing you from an intimate personal relationship with our heavenly Father?

2. Can you recall a time when the Lord told you to "rend your heart?"

3. How can we pray for you and your faith journey?