When we follow the commandment to fast, we harvest far more than we sow.
The law of the fast includes forgoing two meals in a 24-hour period, attending fast and testimony meeting, and contributing a generous fast offering. Though obedience to this commandment can be difficult, the rewards of fasting far outweigh the cost.
In Henry B. Eyring’s general conference address “Is Not This the Fast That I Have Chosen?,” he explores the Lord’s commandment to fast and the blessings it carries. Like all commandments, the law of the fast brings blessings only when we earnestly obey it.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska
To decline the fast is to decline the fast’s blessings. Some of these promised blessings are power to receive inspiration, greater capacity to resist temptation, divine light, and guidance and glory from the Lord. Certainly all of these eternal blessings are worth the temporal hunger and weakness we feel during our 24-hour fasting period.
Due to medical or other personal reasons, some people can’t abstain from two meals. In these circumstances, these people can still fast through increased service, gospel study, spiritual reflection, and purposeful prayer. We can all also participate in a sacrifice that is less physically demanding than fasting, such as forgoing digital entertainment or our favorite Sunday nap.
Regardless of how you choose to fast, the most important fruit of this law is the internal change. As President Eyring testifies, “Your fast offering will do more than help feed and clothe bodies. It will heal and change hearts,” including your own. When we faithfully fast, we shed a small portion of our temporal weakness and draw closer to the Lord. By briefly sacrificing our physical sustenance, we show that we value spiritual sustenance much more.
Read President Henry B. Eyring’s talk “Is Not This the Fast That I Have Chosen?” to learn more about the origin of fasting and the blessings of willingly partaking of the Lord’s fast.
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Kelly Pratt, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY NICOLE MICHALOU
Find more insights
Discover more about the importance of fasting earnestly through Elder Carl B. Pratt’s talk “The Blessings of a Proper Fast.”
To learn more about what fasting entails, look at “What is Fasting (and Why Should I Do It)?” by Stephanie A. Fudge.