The Promise of Food

It is day three of the Great Fast. By now, if you are following the Fast in any way, even if not very strict, you are hungry and craving the foods you used to eat. Trust me. You’ll be ok. You will survive because God promised you would always have food.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds:  cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.”  And it was so.  And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”  And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.”  And it was so.  And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.  And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.  So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation.

Genesis 1.24-2.3

One of the many blessings of fasting is reminding our hearts that food is for nourishment, not pleasure. Sure, we enjoy certain foods. The most enjoyable foods are also not the healthiest for our diets. Especially as Americans our diet tends to be filled with poor health choices.

Many believe that our ancestors in the Garden were vegetarians based on today’s reading. “Behold, I have given you every plant…you shall have them for food.” It is only natural that spending a season focusing on God, we would return to our ‘pre-fallen diet’ in the Garden.

Fasting is not the same as being a vegetarian. Being a vegetarian is choosing foods that are not animal based. Many do this for health and moral conscience reasons. Fasting isn’t a healthy choice, nor being woke. It is learning to discipline our bodies to the will of God.

Fasting is about learning to trust that God has always promised we would have enough to meet our needs if we live according to His will. Fasting is learning to trust God’s promise for our very life. No food equals death.

We also must remember the ancient Christians did not fast for fifty-seven days before Pascha. When we read the word ‘fasting’ in the Scriptures it means not eating. As fasting developed over the centuries, going more than a few days without food was not an option.

Fasting has become a progressive discipline in the Church. How much we fast and from what we fast differ based on our spiritual journey, led by our spiritual father. No matter how we fast, we learn to trust God by making Him the focus of our fast. It isn’t about rule following.

Sure, using vegetarian cookbooks can help prepare your meals, but don’t lose focus of the goal. We are learning to trust God for everything, and it starts with food.