Ignite Fast Day 1: Beverage Fast

BEVERAGE FAST: No sugary drinks, tea, coffee, or soda

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

Psalms 63:1

In our modern world there is a booming beverage industry. The non-alcoholic beverage industry is worth nearly a trillion dollars annually across the globe. And the alcoholic beverage industry in the US alone is worth about 250 billion annually! When you and I feel ‘thirsty’ we have an almost unlimited array of choices to choose from in seeking a way to quench our ‘thirst’. There are sugary sodas, teas, fruit juices and juice blends to choose from. There are also various coffees, frappuccinos and sport drinks, at our disposal. There are also various brands of ‘water’ that include spring water, purified water, flavored water and even vitamin infused water. In light of all these choices of beverage it reminds me that there are some images in scripture that are almost un-relatable to our daily experience as citizens of the 21st Century Western World. One of these images are found in the theme scripture of our first day of fasting. The psalmist recalls a time in his life wherein he was extremely thirsty and there was no water in sight. Living in the arid desert environs of Palestine meant that water was a rare and precious commodity. Most of the water source was either fallen rain or wells dug deep beneath the earth’s surface. If a person ran out of water they could very well have run out of life! Water shortage was a regular way of life in ancient Palestine. This fact brings deeper meaning to Psalm 63:1:

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

While you and I face no real threat of a water shortage any time soon, we can use our imaginations. The world in which we live on a daily basis is like a dry and parched land that offers little inspiration and even less acknowledgment of The True and Living God. In this sense, we are very much like the psalmist. Like desperately thirsty dehydrated people looking for water, we seek God. We seek God not like the passing desire for a flavored drink of some kind. We seek God with our whole being! We don’t just wish to be refreshed by God - we want to live in His Presence and for His Glory. As you cut out all other beverages today and exclusively drink water, remember Who God is. He is your Water in a dry and parched land. He, and He alone is your Creator and He is The Sustainer of your life.