I had a great discussion yesterday in church about the topic of fasting. Isaiah 58:6-9 itemizes several blessings, benefits and promises that result from faithful fasting.
Israel, at the time complained about how the law of the fast was an affliction to the soul. They felt it was a difficult requirement and that heaven never recognized their efforts. In response, the Lord says this:
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.”
As I read this, I see three categories of benefit that come from fasting.
In the first category, the Lord promises us rescue and relief from physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bondage, addiction, repression and burden—whether they are put upon us by others or if they are self imposed. He says fasting will:
“Loose the bands of wickedness.” I define wickedness as a pattern or series of sins, or willful defiance toward God’s commandments; wickedness is not a life of ignorance excusable because a person didn’t know of a better way. Satan has power over those who violate the covenants made at baptism, ordination, endowment and temple sealing. The power of Satan is akin to shackles and chains placed on prisoners—in other words bands. Through a process of faithful fasting and repentance, these bands will be loosened and a person may feel free from the oppressive power of Satan.
“Undo heavy burdens.” Do you remember when the people of Amulon found the people of Alma and exercised authority over them to the point of having task-masters afflict them with heavy loads of work and burden? In response, Alma’s people cried out to the Lord for help. At first they cried out verbally, but when prayers were disallowed, they continued to cry out from within their souls.
In response, the Lord said, “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”
The following verse shows how the Lord’s answer came about, “And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.”
I have a firm witness that God eases physical burdens as we fast and cry out to him.
“Let the oppressed go free.” Sometimes, we enter into an agreement with another party that we regret later. Over time a financial opportunity may change into a harsh obligation. An abusive relationship may be difficult to escape. Reasonable employment may develop into indentured servitude. By fasting, we gain insight and understanding of how to break away from our oppressive circumstances. Change for the better doesn’t come immediately, but it does come.
“That ye break every yoke.” Oxen tied to a yoke can’t turn to the left or right unless driven to do so. People tied to a yoke of addiction or habitual behaviors are likewise driven.
1. Alcohol Addiction
2. Smoking
3. Drug Addiction
4. Gambling
5. Food Addiction
6. Video Games
7. Internet Addiction
8. Sex Addiction/Pornography
9. Shopping
10. Work Addiction
Regular and faithful fasting will help in the attempt to overcome an addiction.
In the second category, the Lord teaches us how others will benefit from our fasting.
“Deal thy bread to the hungry… bring the poor that are cast out to thy house… when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him.”
“And thus, In their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need” (Alma 1:30).
Joseph Smith taught, “Let this be an [example] to all saints, and there will never be any lack for bread: When the poor are starving, let those who have, fast one day and give what they otherwise would have eaten to the bishops for the poor, and every one will abound for a long time. … And so long as the saints will all live to this principle with glad hearts and cheerful countenances they will always have an abundance.”
Glen L. Rudd, author of Pure Religion, explained: “When you see a mother filling her empty shelves with food and realizing she can feed her children, that’s when you get a sense of the sacred nature of fast offerings. Fast offering funds aren’t sacred until they are used to bless someone’s life.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley has said that if the principles of fast day and the fast offering were observed throughout the world, “the hungry would be fed, the naked clothed, the homeless sheltered. Our burden of taxes would be lightened. The giver would not suffer but would be blessed by [this] small abstinence. A new measure of concern and unselfishness would grow in the hearts of people everywhere. Can anyone doubt the divine wisdom that created this program which has blessed the people of this church as well as many who are not members of this church?”
Elder Marion G. Romney, taught: “I believe the most practical way to protect one’s self and family against economic need is to make liberal contributions for the support to the Lord’s poor according to the law of the Gospel. I am not promising you riches, but I am telling you that this is the most practical way to protect yourselves and families from actual need. I believe that it is consistent with the laws of Heaven that one’s right of reliance upon the Lord for protection against want is in direct proportion to his own liberality in sustaining the Lord’s poor.”
President Thomas S. Monson, reminds “it is incumbent upon every Latter-day Saint to give to his bishop on fast day an amount equivalent to the food that he and his family would consume for the day and, if possible, a liberal donation to be so reserved and donated to the poor.”
“Sometimes we have been a bit penurious,” President Spencer W. Kimball said, “and figured that we had for breakfast one egg and that cost so many cents and then we give that to the Lord. I think that when we are affluent, as many of us are, … we ought to be very, very generous … and give, instead of the amount we saved by our two meals of fasting, perhaps much, much more—ten times more where we are in a position to do it.”
(All of the quotes in this section come from Neil K. Newell, "Fast Offerings: Blessings We Give, Blessings We Receive", Ensign, Oct. 1998, 16)
In the third category, the Lord promises gifts and blessings to those that fast:
“Thy light break forth as the morning.” “For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” (JSM1:26) As we fast, the light of Christ shall be upon our countenance. People we see Him through us. Our testimony will be full and bright—like a holy flame, unquenchable and undeniable.
“Thine health shall spring forth speedily.” Fasting provides physical well-being. When a person is sick, the body empties itself as much as possible before it begins its healing process. Therein is a lesson to be learned.
“Thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.” Heaven will advocate our way before us and will protect us from behind. Historically, angels have helped the faithful (Paul, Alma, Joseph Smith, etc.). Have you ever been caught unexpectedly on your way out of work with another task to accomplish, then as you leave ten minutes late, drive past a traffic accident that just happened and wondered, “could that have been me”?
Finally and maybe most significantly: “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.”
Fasting is a law irrevocably decreed. Adam lived it, Peter lived it, and our Savior lived it. Blessed we will be, if we live it.
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