Fast Night 16: Home

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went away to a secluded place and prayed there. Mark 1: 35

Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3: 17

“My Heart, Christ’s Home” by Robert Boyd Munger expands the meaning of inviting Christ to be at home in your heart. My favorite part of this small booklet is when the writer invites Jesus to be with him every morning and commits to meet Him. As life does sometimes, the writer gets busy and distracted and after a while forgets about meeting with Jesus in the morning. He mostly dashes off some quick prayers whenever he seems to find time. But one morning the writer is leaving the house through the front door and sees Jesus in the quiet front room where He used to love meeting with Him and stops sharp. He says, “Jesus, have You been here waiting for me every day since?”

The special focus that fasting brings to my life reminds me that spending time with Jesus is not just for my benefit. Jesus longs to spend time with me and makes His home in my heart. He is faithful and loving beyond my human comprehension.

I am enjoying the rhythm of sun up to sun down fasting. The longer I keep from eating, the more time I find I have to relish and savor His love throughout the day and my morning time with Jesus more easily enfolds my whole day. I long for this time with Him. I am not perfect, there are minutes where I pop something in my mouth without thinking, but I know He is forgiving and with me in that moment. Fasting becomes a process, not a vow, not a discipline, but a relationship-builder and I do not see how I could do without this spiritual practice in my life.

Apply this to however you are fasting. Our journeys are not the same, the way God has prompted us to fast is different each time and different from each other, and our relationship with Jesus differs because of our personality and our season of life. But building a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus is the same. Allow God to use your fasting time as a tool to be transformed by Him!

Jesus, You are my heart. I invite You into my physical and spiritual home. I will meet You there. Amen.