The Disciplines of Prayer, Fasting and Giving
Last week I reflected on the first of the disciplines of Lent outlined in the Ash Wednesday liturgy—self-examination and repentance. This week I’d like to look at the next disciplines—prayer, fasting and alms-giving. Many things could be said about each of these disciplines, but, for today, I’d like to focus on how each of these disciplines allow us to escape the mindset of scarcity that so many of us live with day to day, into the mindset of trust that God has given us enough.
In her book Daring Greatly, researcher and speaker Brené Brown cites Lynne Twist’s observation that, “For me, and for many of us, our first waking thought of the day is, ‘I didn’t get enough sleep.’ The next one is, ‘I don’t have enough time.’” I know that I can relate to these thoughts, and they color our outlook on the day ahead—there just isn’t enough . . .
When we pray, we set aside time, which is, for many of us, our most precious commodity, insisting that sitting in God’s presence, meditating on scripture, listening for his voice, and verbalizing our own needs and the needs of others allows us to experience God’s promise that we would have enough. Jesus said, “Seek first God’s kingdom, and his righteousness, and then all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
When we fast, we choose to say no—to food, to technology, or to whatever else we’re abstaining from—trusting that, in the abstinence, God will meet us as the one who provides all of our needs. When Jesus was tempted to eat during his fast in the wilderness, he responded with the words of Deuteronomy 8:3, “One doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” When we fast, we open ourselves to God’s presence in such a way that we find that we have enough. The goal of fasting isn’t better health, or some kind of spiritual ecstasy, but rather a greater sense of God’s provision in the midst of our need.
Finally, when we give, and this is giving above and beyond the tithe that was required of the Jewish people, we are saying to God that we trust him to provide for us. Giving may result in us having fewer material goods, and less money, than we would otherwise. However, I do believe that, as we give, God will bless us, but the blessing will not necessarily, or even not likely, be more material goods or money. Several years ago I heard a story on NPR about an experiment in which people were given a small amount of money and told to spend it—some were told to spend it on themselves, while others were told to spend it on others. Later that day, the leaders of the experiment asked the participants to gauge their happiness, and, surprisingly, those who used their money on other people rather than themselves reported being much happier. This reality is counter-intuitive. In fact, one of the leaders of the experiment asked a group of college students what they thought would result in more happiness—spending money on themselves, or others. The students overwhelming chose themselves, but, again, the reality was exactly the opposite.
As we continue our journey through Lent, then, create space to pray, to fast and to give, trusting that, as we do, God will begin to set us free from the mindset of scarcity and lead us into the truth, which is that, as God’s beloved children, we always have enough.
Peace,
Chris