Last year, I had some significant health issues, mostly due to genetics (I think) and previous injuries.

One of those injuries resulted In a pretty significant leg infection. I was told that I’d for sure lose my foot, probably my leg and maybe more. I’ll leave the “maybe more” part to your imagination.  

The infection also caused elevated blood sugar levels for which I was “diagnosed” as a diabetic and placed on a cocktail of insulin and four other drugs. 

To put it plainly, the drugs made me feel much worse than I felt off the drugs. I couldn’t sleep (I slept through the night three times in four months) and visited the bathroom “regularly”.

I ended up saying enough and stopping all the drugs. Diet and exercise were partially successful in controlling the symptoms, though the symptoms spiked occasionally.

Last year was one of those times. The doc recommended insulin (again) and I agreed. Hey, I’m 60 years old and understand the long term implications.

Well, long story cut short, the insulin made everything much worse, including blood sugar readings. And not in an incremental way. I’m talking 100+ points with each increase in dosage. I’ve got the logs to prove it. Each time I consulted with doc, I was told I needed yet more insulin despite the evidence that it made things worse.

Again, much to the chagrin of the doc and assorted specialists, I called it all off. But I still had the problem.

Ever since I can remember, the Holy Spirit has watched over me. Even long before I was saved, a little voice would always speak to me when I was at a crossroads and things were about to get serious. I have no idea why, no way in this world I deserved any level of grace or mercy. At the time though, I just thought I was one clever son of a gun.

This time, He put the idea of fasting in my mind. So, on a Friday morning last October I started a water fast. As an aside, I told the doc I was going to do a water fast and was criticized and discouraged in a big way.

And… the results were remarkable. I’d been keeping detailed logs on blood sugar, blood pressure and pulse. Most notably, my blood sugar level dropped by two-thirds and my blood pressure dropped by 20-25 points. In just over 24 hours.

You might be thinking that everything returned to pre-fast levels after I started eating again.  And, yes there was very minimal rebound. But everything has maintained.

So what do I attribute this? Well, there’s certainly substantial evidence supporting the health benefits of fasting. But, for me, it’s about obedience. During one of those doc visits, the doc left the room briefly and I prayed and declared to God that my faith was (and is) in Him. I asked for His help.

I’ve been intending to do another fast, but hadn’t (of course). Then last week, I found a book on my Kindle that I didn’t even know I had: Fasting: Opening the Door to a Deeper, More powerful, More Intimate Relationship with God by Jentezen Franklin. 

I’m amazed at the number of times fasting is cited in this book. I just hadn’t done the math. Fasting is commanded by God (Joel 2) and practiced (Luke 4) and taught (Matthew 17) by Jesus. There’s also Moses (Exodus 34) and Daniel. There’s fasting individually to restore your relationship with God (1 Kings 21) and corporate fasting to restore cities (Jonah 3) and nations. King David fasted for children (2 Samuel 12) and widows.

I’m only about halfway through the book, but I’m currently on another three day fast.  A different kind of fast. In his book, Franklin is careful to draw the distinction between dieting and fasting to draw closer to God.  My first fast was the former. Here’s hoping the current fast is the latter.