16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6)
So few of us fast these days (at least for spiritual reasons) that it may be lost on many of us what Jesus is trying to say. Having just talked about prayer, it is the next logical step to talk about prayer with fasting. Like the other things He has been addressing, there is always the temptation to make a show of one's spirituality - to give the appearance of holiness and devout faith. Of course the audience of such activity is not the Audience of One, but of as many as possible. We want people to be impressed with how spiritual we are. True hunger hurts, but when we are fasting to draw closer to God, He feeds us so well that it is not seen for the joy that He gives within. We are to go through life as "normal", so that if any attention is drawn to us - if anything seems "abnormal" - it reflects back to Him and His great grace. So when we worship today (or the next time we are not frozen in...) may we do so for the audience of One, whether we are singing, praying, or even fasting.
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