Two-Minute Manna

After the prompting to prayer, we see the preparation for prayer. Daniel set his face, which speaks of determination. Sackcloth is a hairy garment, camel’s hair usually, turned inside out so the bristles of the camel continually rub against one’s skin. What was Daniel doing? He was showing he was serious in seeking the Lord.

Fasting is a way we can seek the Lord in seriousness. Fasting is an important tool in the Christian arsenal both in doing battle with the enemy and in seeking our Father and His blessings. All day long, we’re bombarded by advertising and noise. Not only are our senses bombarded, but our stomachs are constantly craving certain kinds of food. We’re stuffing ourselves with this, that, and the other. Fasting is a practical way of saying, “I’m not going to continue showering myself with physical sensations and stimuli. I’m going to slow it down.”

Physiologically, you actually become a clearer thinker when you’re fasting. Many tests confirm this. Fasting is good for us physically and helpful to us mentally. Fasting is not a way to score points with the Lord but an avenue to deny our flesh physically in order to concentrate on the spiritual realm with greater intensity. Fasting is not meant to prove something to God but to simply place ourselves in a position where we can hear Him more clearly.

As a teenager, Daniel understood the importance of the fast. Here he is now, at eighty-six years of age, still fasting.