Has anyone honestly felt like they were blessed by fasting?
 

I remember growing up and fasting every Fast Sunday, but I never remember feeling like I received any particular blessings for doing so. Is fast Sunday just a mundane ritual or does it really serve a purpose?

Yes. Seldom have I done it right (i.e., mind focused on a particular goal the entire time). But yes, I was able to obtain my goal.

Several times I can recall right off hand. One in particular was a family fast for my sister. Was it a coincedence that right after that, things changed dramatically for the better for her. I guess one could argue that, but I feel it was a direct result of the fast.

I still can't answer why some fasts don't work though.

Fasting is much like prayer in that regard. I think you could take the corresponding Bible Dictionary entry and replace the word prayer with fasting, and still get the same concept:

"Fasting is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of fasting is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Fasting is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

More than prayer, fasting embodies the existensial dissonance we experience everyday--the union of things eternal (spirit) with things temporal (body)--and reminds us to choose the eternal.

I don't want to be argumentative on the subject as I do believe fasting works. However, I don't think the Bible Dictionary answers the question as to why at times it doesn't.

To say the object is not to change the will of God I understand, however are you (the dictionary) saying the will of God can be changed by not fasting?

If God means to have someone recover from an illness, does a family not fasting mean God won't cure them.

For me this is a faith issue on which if someone challenged me I would just say, it is something I believe and yet can't explain.

yes

The phrases "made conditional on our asking" and "require some work or effort on our part" seem to suggest that, but I don't know that I would phrase it that way. I can think of few things more pernicious to tell the family of a deceased person than that God would have saved their loved one "had they only fasted" or "had they only had enough faith."

As you say, one cannot always clearly see why God intervenes in some instances and not in others. Sometimes it may have to do with the faith of those involved and sometimes it may not. The best we can do when in such circumstances is try to seek out the will of the Father, and submit to it.

I remember Elder Maxwell relating a very touching story about a little girl praying for her terminally ill father, begging the Lord to heal him, but asking for help not to be angry if He didn't.

http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOr...004d82620a____

Good thoughts.


There are just some things that can't be explained. I had a friend tell me once that someone during testimony meeting explained how their son had been saved from a horrible accident and death on his mission. They went on about how the Mission President told him he was saved because he was obeying mission rules and no harm comes to Elders to obey mission rules.

That must be not so comforting to people who have lost relatives on missions. I think it best that people try not to explain some things, even mission Presidents.

Someone who doesn't believe in prayers being answered isn't going to be convinced through reason.

Fasting is not peculiar to Mormons, as we know Jews, Muslims and many other cultures encourages going without food for a time.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast for forty days or so.

Buddhists fast for various reasons, and physicians see benefits for food deprivation.

The short answer is I believe fasting can provide benefits and on occasion I have experienced those benefits.