Try Fasting - By Ollie Greenfield

If you are anything like me, then I am sure you have also tried many times to fast from something during Lent. Lent is the 40-day period to test our willpower against abstaining from things we love - Chocolate, social media, coffee (hardest one for me!). But somewhere along the 40 days, it becomes tough, and we slip up. We see someone doing a much more amazing thing, and we think ''What's the point of Lent anyway?'' 

But here is a thought I have had recently: what if my focus of Lent is skewed? 

Why are we amazed at these feats of fasting? Why do we get proud of our achievement of not sampling that glorious caffeinated nectar? 

Is Lent really about proving how strong we are?

Jesus says in Matthew 6, When you fast… don’t make a show of it. Don’t pull a sad face. Don’t announce it to the world. Fasting, according to Jesus, isn’t about spiritual performance. It’s not about thinking, “Aren’t I amazing at not eating cake?” but it brings us an opportunity for something more.

Maybe fasting isn’t just about resisting something. Maybe it’s about what we do in the space that resistance creates. It’s about quietly spending time with God, because God sees us and loves us and wants us to be his friend. Friends grow closer by spending time together. So fasting becomes less about willpower and more about attention. We remove something — food, scrolling, constant noise — not to prove strength, but to refocus our hearts. 

And that’s hard. Life is busy. “I don’t always choose my priorities — sometimes they choose me.” Phones buzz. Work demands. School pressures. Even good things quietly take centre stage. 

Imagine each part of your day as an image in a timeline; wake up, get coffee, do errands, school run, work, cleaning, cooking, get a snack in to keep going, resting, enjoying TV, seeing what's new on our phones, seeing who posted anything today. 

Now think about which one you prioritise each day, whether you do it for your own sanity and comfort, or because it needs doing. Now ask yourself, is that stopping God from entering the picture? Is that a priority over a relationship with God? 

Fasting is choosing to lessen one thing so we can seek God more intentionally. It’s saying, “I rely on this… but I want to rely on You more.”

Isaiah 58:5-9 reminds us that fasting also lifts our eyes outward. It connects us to others. When we fast from food, we remember that not everyone has enough. When we fast from comfort, we become more aware of those living without it daily. Fasting that refocuses on God softens our hearts. It moves us toward generosity.

It's hard because it's counter-cultural.

Our culture tells us, “If you want it, have it. If you feel it, follow it.” Fasting quietly pushes back. It says, “I want this thing, but knowing you God more is better, knowing you gives me more life than my peaceful coffee moment each day.” 

When we refocus on God, our hearts open. We hear Him more clearly. And as we move through our daily lives, we carry something of His kingdom — peace, joy, goodness — into the world around us.

So this Lent, my encouragement isn’t: Be stronger. It’s: Be closer.

When God becomes our priority, everything else begins to find its proper place. Fasting gives us a space to put that into action and be with God, to invite Him in.

Amen.