Fasting for... someone??

If I were to be completely honest, my experience with fasting is rather shallow. I have decided to refrain from eating food or partaking in some other distraction or entertainment in hopes that I would draw closer to God in that time. Looking back on it, there have really been only two significant times where I have decided to fast from something and felt as if my heart was changed after breaking the fast. I think this is partially from my lack of focus on the purpose of the fast, and instead focused on the things I removed myself from rather than the things I was longing for. 

I think due to my inability to focus on the right things while fasting, my concept of fasting is skewed and tainted. I believe a lot of this has to do with my spiritual maturity. Whether I enter into the fasting really desiring change, or enter into it because of pressure from other sources, my motives and purposes for starting it are the things that will allow me to have a Godly experience. Unfortunately it will be the thing that also causes me to have a miserable, painful experience. 

So in order for me to experience God through fasting, I need to approach it cautiously, and be certain that my intentions are pure and holy before attempting to humble myself in such a way. I've had these thoughts hovering in my mind for a while, and a brief comment in a podcast the other day stirred it back up. A comment about fasting for someone or something was said as if it were a common act… Well is it??

I've never really even thought about fasting for someone else. I've always pictured it as something an individual would do in order to draw themselves closer to God. However as I got lost in my thoughts as the podcast went on, it made sense that fasting for something outside of yourself would be powerful. Jesus is recorded in John 15 saying, 

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

This sunday school verse entered my mind as I pondered about the ramifications of fasting for a friend. We can get more from this verse than just the idea of one dying for a friend. Reading into the verse a bit, any type of sacrifice for a friend in one's life is a reflection of Christ in our lives. Actions which are done willingly, without any hesitation or expectation for compensation, towards a friend are powerful, and really do show the care and love they have for their friend. 

So even more, how powerful is it to approach God on the behalf of a friend. Fasting, removing "necessities" from my life, so that I can reveal my weaknesses, my need for God, my dependence on my Father, in order to request His power to be revealed in a friend's life. This would be the greater Love Jesus talked about, putting someone else's life before mine, someone else's future, someone else's heart before mine. 

I look forward to attempting experiencing God by fasting on behalf of a friend.