Fasting for Lent: A Little Sacrifice for an Eternal Gain
As we begin this fast, I cannot help but reflect on Paul’s words to the Philippians:
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).
Paul had everything—status, knowledge, power. Yet, he counted it all as rubbish compared to the joy of knowing Jesus. His words challenge me to look at my own life and ask, What am I holding onto that is keeping me from experiencing the fullness of Christ?
Letting Go to Gain More
Fasting is hard. It requires sacrifice, and let’s be honest—it’s uncomfortable. But isn’t that exactly the point? Anything truly valuable in life comes at a cost. To earn a degree, we sacrifice our time, money, and attention. In marriage, we lay down our own preferences to experience sacrificial love. Raising children demands the surrender of our freedom, energy, and personal pursuits. Likewise, fasting asks us to let go of temporary comforts.
But with every hunger pang, every craving resisted, and every desire surrendered, we gain something far greater than the satisfaction of a full belly.
We gain the richness of God’s presence and the joy of drawing closer to Him.
When we fast, we let go of temporary satisfaction to gain a far greater eternal treasure. We are saying, “Lord, You are my portion. You are enough.” It’s a powerful declaration of dependence and fidelity, a way to realign and recommit our hearts to God.
“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26).
Fasting exposes the things we’ve been relying on to fill us—things that were never meant to satisfy our souls.
Our attachments and dependencies are stripped away, revealing the true state of our hearts. And in that vulnerable place, God meets us.
A Deeper Hunger and a Greater Fulfillment
Fasting isn’t just about abstaining from food; it’s about cultivating a deeper hunger—a hunger that transcends the physical and awakens our souls to our greatest need: God Himself.
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
What a powerful truth. When we fast, we are reminded that nothing in this world can satisfy us like Jesus. He is the Bread that truly satisfies. Fasting creates space for us to taste and see the goodness of God.
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
The cravings and hunger pangs we experience in fasting are meant to point us to a deeper spiritual longing—a longing for righteousness and intimacy with God.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
The Fullness Found in His Presence
In a world that constantly pulls our attention in a thousand directions, fasting becomes a holy invitation to draw near to God, to sit in His presence, and to be satisfied in Him alone.
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
This fullness of joy that we seek cannot be found in the temporary pleasures of this world. It can only be found in the presence of God.
When we fast, we are choosing to empty ourselves so that we might be filled with the fullness of Christ.
“For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9).
The Eternal Perspective
Paul’s perspective in Philippians 3 challenges us to look beyond the here and now.
He writes just a few verses later, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).
Fasting reminds us that this world is not our home. It helps us fix our eyes on eternity, to value what God values, to seek the things that are above and not below. It teaches us to live with heaven in mind, to pursue treasures that won’t fade away. When we choose to deny ourselves even for a season, we are reminded of Jesus’ words:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
So this season, let us ask ourselves—Where is my heart? What am I truly hungry for?
Gaining Christ
The beauty of fasting is that it’s not about deprivation; it’s about gaining. We gain the incorruptible instead of the corruptible, the heavenly instead of the earthly, the eternal instead of the temporal. The greatest reward of fasting isn’t the answered prayers or the breakthroughs (although those are beautiful gifts). The greatest reward is Christ Himself.
“I count all things as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).
Through fasting, we find a deeper intimacy with God, a closeness that transcends the temporary discomforts. We learn to hear His voice more clearly, to sense His presence more deeply. We discover that His Word truly is the Bread of Life, nourishing and satisfying our souls in ways that no earthly food ever could.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Fasting is never easy, but the gain is always worth it.
With every little sacrifice, we gain more of Him. We learn to rely not on what fills our stomachs but on Who fills our souls. May we embrace fasting not as a duty but as a gift—a gift that draws us closer to God and prepares us for the eternal joy of heaven. May we discover that “The LORD is my portion,” and may our souls find rest and satisfaction in Him alone (Lamentations 3:24).
My prayer is that in this Lenten fast, may we taste and see that the Lord is good, and may we hunger and thirst for righteousness, knowing that only God can truly satisfy us.
"So, make your fast, my children, pure and holy, that it may be acceptable before God like the fasts of the saints. Preserve your purity in the land of your sojourn. Live the life of repentance that is pleasing to God. Let this season be a season for confession of sins and communion of the holy Mysteries, that ye may abide in the Lord and He abides in you, even as the living branches that bear fruit abide in the True Vine. And the God of all mercies preserve, confirm and strengthen you." - St. Pope Kyrillos VI