I'm a very visual person so I'll begin with a map. In this chapter of Paul's first missionary journey, it covers his trip starting from Antioch, to Salamis, to Paphos, to Perga (in the region of Pampylia), to Antioch (through the region of Pisidia), and it ends with Paul and Barnabas leaving Antioch. The description of Paul's trips always confused me until I realized there were multiple Antioch's. These Greeks apparently weren't the most creative people in the world when it came to naming cities.
From the very start, this was a journey inspired by the Holy Spirit, but using people who were prepared for the mission. The second verse mentions ministering to the Holy Spirit and fasting. This concept of fasting is pretty foreign to me. I read about it all the time in the New Testament, but I really don't know how to apply it. When do you use it? How do you go about doing it? Do you fast for a set amount of time? Or do you go until the Lord answers your prayers? Are you allowed to drink water? I've done it in a few situations in the past but I don't really remember what I was fasting for or how I went about doing it. I think it's something that the Lord will eventually have to reveal to me. All I know is that from this scripture, these people were actively preparing for the journey before the Lord even sent them. I always wonder what mission the Lord is going to send me on. Will He ask me to serve in the hospital? Will He call me out to full time service? Will He send me out as a missionary? But I think the right question I should be asking is how am I preparing right now for wherever the Lord will send me? For Paul and Barnabas, they prepared by ministering and fasting in Antioch. For David, he was prepared by shepherding sheep in his youth. For Moses, God broke him for 40 years so that he would be ready to lead the Israelites. I am confident that if we follow the Lord closely, and continue to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, He will prepare us for great things. Allow the Lord to prepare you today!
as a kid, i went with my parents to a fairly legalistic "Christian" church....where we followed many of the biblical traditions, including fasting on the day of Atonement, or as is called by the Jews today "Yom Kippur". Once you reached a certain age, it was expected of you to try and fast as your parents did on that day. i remember the first time i tried it...and part way through the day i accidentally drank some of a juice box that my younger sister had, forgetting about what day it was....and then after i felt extremely guilty, thankfully our legalism was not too extreme...and there was no punishment or anything :-p.
ReplyDelete...to me this had always been a tradition. but as I grew and became to know the Lord myself I always wondered about fasting as well and why Jesus said only some demons come out with prayer and fasting.
...to me fasting is when you take a day to truly deny your body and seek the will of the Lord. It's amazing how much of our day is consumed with the preparing and eating of food. Sometimes, I think the Lord would have us come before him with a hungry belly recognizing that He is the only Bread we need, and that He is the only One who will be able to solve the issue we may have at hand. Maybe it's seeking the way of your future or maybe it's casting out an unclean spirit. I dunno, it just seems like something that may help us put aside our physical needs to pursue after the spiritual needs.