By Special Guest Blogger: Katherine Lorance

     Let me start by saying I really enjoy food.  There have only been a few instances when I, in good health, have lost my appetite.  During my senior year of high school, I cried my eyes out after finding out my “boyfriend” and another close friend had been deceiving me for months; I could not eat the next day.  I remember holding a spoonful of cereal to my mouth and being unable to will myself to eat it.

     So, a couple months ago as I read through Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, I was struck by how often fasting came up.  In contrast, in my life, to my shame, fasting is not common.  I don’t fast in response to bad news -- whether it’s a Boxing Day tsunami or my friend’s cancer diagnosis – or to prepare for big events.  Right now, my fasting has to be planned, like part of a program.  While I am still reflecting on the value of this past Lenten fast from chocolate, by God’s grace, my two previous planned seasons of fasting proved to be times of spiritual growth.

     The first was during a Lent when I committed to have a time of fasting every so many days.  Richard Foster in the classic Celebration of Discipline gives some helpful, practical tips for the logistics of fasting.  Taking his advice, I started by fasting through one meal and gradually added more time with each fast.  Foster implies this, but let me emphasize: you should not break a fast with chocolate.  During this season, I felt a teensy bit like that athlete in training that Paul writes about.  I did not always have mind-blowing experiences from the Lord during my fasts, but  because I gave Him the space to blow my mind, I felt more confident about my prayers and overall walk.

     The second was during a Ramadan, which is the month Muslims fast from before dawn until after sunset.  My commitment was more like fasting during business hours, but I also made a calendar and picked a different Muslim person or people group to pray for each day.  This fast was in some ways more difficult than fasting for longer periods of time because the hunger pangs would come every day.  However, my feelings of hunger served as reminders to intercede for others and remembering the brokenness I felt that day in high school when I lost my appetite motivated me to pray for the people on my calendar to experience true peace and everlasting joy.

     I am clearly not an expert on fasting but I wanted to throw the topic out there since I hardly hear anything about it.  (And why is that?  Is everyone trying to keep fasting super-secret?)  Anyone have any experiences to share?