Exodus 34:28 “Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.”
The fast of Moses was pretty extraordinary. Forty days and forty nights with no food and no water. I have a hard time skipping breakfast and he goes more than a month. It was also special because of the outcome, the Ten Commandments. I’d be happy for God to just say “good morning” and Moses gets something that’s still on the walls of most county courthouses across the south. Well, I feel pretty safe in saying, I’m no Moses.
But there are some things I can learn from him. The first, that God does want to tell us stuff if we will just listen, and fasting helps us to do that. The thing that sets our God apart from any other religious deity is His willingness to be intimately engaged in our lives and to communicate with us. He is still the God who speaks to us.
Maybe we can pick up a clue or two from Moses to help us hear better.
He went off by himself. We have talked about the corporate value of fasting but there is also the need for some time alone. The Bible says, “Be still and know…” Getting away from the hustle and bustle and spending a little time, maybe first thing in the morning, helps me hear.
And he was at it for forty days. Most of us have a microwave devotional life. Put on a podcast, get in an app, and try to get this thing done in 8 minutes or less. You may not have forty days but forty minutes might be doable. During this time of fasting, add a consistent, significant amount of quiet time to hear from God.
Finally, he wrote. It is always interesting to me how often God speaks when I start writing. I tell people, I am as surprised as anyone else at how a story that I am writing ends. Call it stream of consciousness or revelation. I just say when I start writing God starts talking. Journal this month, while you fast.
We may not get the Ten Commandments, but we might hear God say, “Hey, don’t do that.” 😊