There are times of fasting in which you hit the wall. The wall comes more frequently if you allow yourself to think about what you are doing. On day 11 I celebrated and felt great. I was half way! Then on the next day I got up and could barely move and thought “Oh no I have 10 more days?!?!?!” You just have to learn to rely upon the Lord to keep you busy and mentally focused upon the task of getting through the day.
I also see that as I grow closer to the end of the fast that my mind and body are preparing to eat. I have looked up menus for coming off a fast—none of them are appetizing. Mostly juices and steamed vegetables. Absolutely no meat for at least four days, some say a week, others question why you eat meat in the first place. Needless to say my mind and body is trying to be ready. This creates tension however in the body. My body craves food intensely and its cravings are sometimes overwhelming. It is not pain as such as it is a deep anxiety, a deep longing for something that is missing.
“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”
So too should be our craving for God. Some only have to talk to God occasionally. Some its regular but in small doses. The truth is that we should crave God like a hungry man craves food or in my case the fasting man craves food after about 16 days. Let me tell you its intense.
I believe if we truly hungered after God like a fasting body hungers after food the church would be a totally different place—the world would be a totally different place. God would fulfill that craving!
Again I find the contrast between the woman at the well and the disciples in John 4 to be illustrative. The woman was full of desire. She wanted living water so she would not have to draw water again. She wanted knowledge about worship and eventually she wanted all her community to know the Jesus she had met at the well. The disciples were concerned with lunch. They were worried about Jesus’ reputation. They weren’t craving God. Samaria was touched by the ministry of Jesus because he found a woman craving for God to work in her life. When she was touched the whole community was touched. Be it so with us.