My Daniel Fast Experience

"At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." Daniel 1:15-17

"At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips...Since the first day you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard..." Daniel 10:2,12

Wisdom and understanding - this is what Daniel received from the Lord upon his fasts in these two chapters. Inspired by these passages is what is called The Daniel Fast. I just completed this 21 day fast on January 30th. This is the first time I have ever done a concentrated fast of this type or length. My expectation coming in was that it would stretch me, and that it did. Admittedly, in my sin I tried to endure the first couple of days on my own strength. This only led to frustration, not to mention irritability! Then God reminded me it was not up to me to endure. God's mercy became clear to me. If I was going to make it for 21 days, it was going to be God that sustained me. The truth of 12 Corinthians 12:9 was right in front of me. In my physical hunger I was reflecting on the question that has much bigger implications than whether or not my stomach feels full: Would I trust Christ to be enough?

What I realized was the magnitude of John 6:35 where Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." Jesus tells the crowd that he is greater than the manna their ancestors ate in the wilderness. His sustaining power does not end. The Israelites ate the bread, yet they died. Just a few verses eariler in John 6 Jesus feeds a crowd of 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. If we were there in the crowd, maybe we would have reacted like the disciples did. So many people, such little food. But they didn't understand that the Bread of Life is enough. Our hunger is a window into the reality that what we really hunger for is meaning and life in Christ, and if we find it, we will never truly be hungry.

Some lessons learned:

1. We eat WAY too much. During the fast I was getting by after a few days on what most days would leave me asking, "Is that all we're eating?"
2. Soft drinks burn your mouth if you go without them for a while and then taste one again. Try it.
3. I am more aware of the Holy Spirit when my body is healthier. When I exercise and eat better I am more attentive to what the Spirit is saying to me.
4. I had more fruitful times of prayer and Bible reading during the fast than at any time in a while.
5. God challenged me during the fast to continue to get out of my comfort zone

The Daniel Fast was a great experience for me. I went through it with a few friends, and I look forward to hearing from them.