That We Might
Have Joy
The Law of The Fast
in the Gospel of the Lord
By
Michaelbrent Collings
CHAPTER 1 – Introduction to the Fast
The law of the fast is one of those laws.
It’s one of the principles that many of us practice (or
don’t practice) without really being sure why.
We do it (or don’t do it) because we’re told to, because we’re
instructed that we should, but we have no real clue what fasting is for. Where did it come from? Why did it originate? What is the holy principle behind it?
Many of us have a basic view of fasting that might be stated
in this manner:
“I fast once a month on the first Sunday. That’s Fast Sunday, and (when I remember) I
start my fast with a prayer on Saturday night and then go to Church and when I
come home I eat again. Oh, and I also
ask for blessings (wouldn’t want to forget that!).”
This prevalent view is not precisely incorrect, but neither
is it particularly well-developed. So
it is with the purpose of helping others to more fully understand the fast that
this book is written.
“But,” some may ask, “Why must we understand this law
better? Isn’t it enough that we pay our
offerings, that we go without our food?”
In answer, the Lord has said several things. Firstly, “the glory of God is intelligence”
(D&C 93:36) and:
Whatever
principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in
the resurrection.
And if
a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence
and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to
come.[1]
Here we see general reasons that we should seek for
knowledge of all kinds. We are exhorted
to garner this knowledge through our own diligence, which means we should seek
it ourselves. Rather than stand in the
middle of our street with our hands held out to catch a bucket of wisdom
dropped from the heavens, we should take ourselves to places of learning, we
should “seek out of the best books,” we should be “anxiously engaged” in good
causes. We should seek after wisdom
through our own efforts, and in so doing will receive the blessings of heaven.
Obedience is also mentioned, and the Lord has more to say
about obedience in this same section of the Doctrine and Covenants:
There
is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world,
upon which all blessings are predicated –
And
when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which
it is predicated.[2]
To
obtain the blessings the Lord has reserved for us, we must follow his laws, and
to follow them we must understand them.
An imperfect understanding must lead inevitably to an imperfect
obedience. This is not sin,
necessarily, for ignorance is not always the same as willful disobedience, but
certainly the Lord has far more blessings in reserve for us than we have yet
taken advantage of. He waits for us to
develop ourselves, to learn “a more perfect way” so that we may thereby earn
the blessings He wants us to have.
It
stands to reason, then, that the more we can learn about the Lord’s laws, the
better off we will be. Indeed, if we
choose not to learn more about them, we may well fall under condemnation for
our laziness. For, as the Lord has told us,
For
behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is
compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore
he receiveth no reward.[3]
It
behooves us to learn all we can about the Lord’s commandments. And so it behooves us to learn about the law
of the fast. Particularly since it is a
law which, as we shall see, ranks high in importance before the Lord. It is truly a law that leads to Him, and we
must respect it as such, and seek to follow it fully. Indeed, speaking of the importance of the fast day and its
services, George Q. Cannon said:
It is
to be regretted that in some quarters there is a disposition to belittle and
ignore the fast day. We consider it one
of the most important of our Church services and cannot too strongly urge the
benefits and blessings that follow its correct observance.[4]
It
stands to reason that if the services are important in and of themselves, then
how much more important must be the principles upon which the services
rest? And how important that we do not
ignore the fast day… or the fast.
Continuing
in this vein, President Cannon outlined the following on the origins of the
fast:
It has
always been a custom in the Church of Jesus Christ to meet together for fasting
and prayer and, no doubt, bearing testimony also…
It is
recorded that the baptized believers on the day of Pentecost “continued
steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)
An
account of the labors of Paul and Barnabas among some of the branches of the
Church reads as follows: “And when they had ordained them elders in every
church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom
they believed.” (Acts 14:23) Moroni
says: “And the Church did meet together oft, to fast to and to pray, and to
speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.” (Moroni 6:5)
It is
evident from these records and from Moroni’s that the same practice prevailed
in the Church of Jesus Christ in those days that now prevails among the
Latter-day Saints. The members of the
Church met together in their local meetings as we do now in our Wards, and they
met fasting and for the purpose of praying and bearing testimony one to another
concerning their faith.
And
wherever there is a Church of Christ organized, this has been, and is, and will
be the practice among them.[5]
And
another statement, this one by Bruce R. McKonkie:
From
Adam’s day to ours, whenever and wherever the true saints have dwelt on the
earth, the law of the fast has been interwoven into their system of
worship. If we had the records of all
the dispensations from the beginning, we would find in them the same type of
recitation found in the Nephite scripture: “And the church did meet together
oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare
of their souls.” (Moroni 6:5)[6]
Here
are two clear statements of the longevity and importance of the practice of the
law of the fast. This is a law which
has existed “wherever there is a Church of Christ organized” and not only that,
but is a law which always “will be the practice among them.” It is not only important to follow this law,
and follow it to the best of our abilities, it is critical to our
eternal salvation.
How,
then, do we start? Perhaps by first
understanding exactly how important the law of the fast is. Having reached that understanding, we will
then be more inclined to discover its mysteries. For the law of the fast is full of the mysteries of God. But it must be remembered that mysteries are
not things that are meant to be hidden, but rather things that are meant to
be found. As Nephi showed us:
For he
that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded
unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost shall be unfolded unto them, by the
power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well
in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one
eternal round.[7]
God
has given us many hints and clues through the scriptures and the inspired words
of his servants as to what the law of the fast is, and what its consequences
are or may be.
Most
of us have heard the words of Malachi:
Will a
man rob God? Yet ye have robbed
me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are
cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.[8]
This
scripture, much bandied-about in Primary rooms and Sunday School halls
everywhere, is often used in correlation with tithing… and much less often with
the law of the fast. How often have I
seen the good-hearted Sunday School teacher close his or her book and bear testimony
to the importance of tithing and perhaps share a personal story about that
paycheck that came just in time when he or she decided to pay
tithing.
A bit
of a pause, and then the teacher says, “Oh, and we should also pay our fast
offerings.” The lesson book then
closes, a benediction is said and no more is mentioned about this wonderfully
important facet of the Gospel.
But
the principle of the fast – and the fast is something that we shall see to be a
principle of Godliness more than just a mere law of righteousness – is much
more than this.
Indeed,
it comes to be a principle in the truest sense of the word: a place to start.
Joseph
F. Smith, in his book Gospel Doctrine, pointed this out when he said:
[The
Savior} certainly taught fasting, prayer and helpfulness. No better start can be made than by
fasting, praying to God, and sacrificing means for the poor. This law combines belief and practice, faith
and works, without which neither Armenian nor Latter-Day Saint, neither Jew nor
Gentile, can be saved.[9]
The
fast, then, comes to be much more than a few quaint phrases found at the end of
the Old Testament. It is a place to
start, and more than that a principle so important that without it we cannot be
saved! The things of God are
inextricably linked to the principle of fasting, and so our exaltation very
literally depends on the proper execution of this principle of power.
Indeed,
James E. Faust has said:
To do
the best things… we should also keep the great companion law to tithing, the
law of the fast. In keeping this law,
we will receive blessings that are unique and different and separate from those
associated with the law of tithing… We
will in large measure be judged by the manner in which we keep the law of the
fast.[10]
And
again we see that the principle of fasting carries with it a unique and
valuable set of blessings, upon which our very judgement will hinge. Can there be a better reason to strive to
understand this law?
Yet it
continues to go sadly unused. An
unlimited source of power and strength, both physical and spiritual, remains
relatively forsaken by the people it is intended to benefit.
The
fast was instituted at the foundation of this world, and was known to God even
before that. It has stood the test of
time and Apostasy, surviving as a practice – though one sadly removed from its
potential for power – even through the long years of darkness after the
Christian church fell. It lived through
the medieval “Christian” darkness of the Old World and through the prideful fall
of the Nephites in the New. And when a
light shone through the trees in a sacred grove, it found again its temporarily
lost power, and was woven into the tapestry of the Lord’s restored church.
Now,
through the fast, we can experience almost unimaginable blessings. Devils can be cast out, sicknesses healed,
Atonement achieved.
Yet as
a world, even as a Church, we do not yet apply this principle properly, though
there are many who do faithfully observe the fast.
This
meager observance must change. We must
do better, and heed the words of Elder Robert L. Simpson:
Yes,
the law of the fast is a perfect law, and we cannot begin to approach
perfection until we decide to make it a part of our lives.[11]
We
must follow the fast, for in so doing we will receive blessings. In so doing we will come to Christ. In so doing, we will find the Lord, and in
finding Him, will become as He is.
On to Chapter 2...
Back to church stuff...
Please
email me with your thoughts/comments/concerns,
as
well as any fasting questions you would like to see included in the book,
and
any fasting stories of your own you would like to share!
michaelbrent@yahoo.com
© 2003 by Michaelbrent
Collings
All Rights Reserved