“I can't explain how I managed to keep on cleaning, cooking, taking care of the kids, running a Bible study group, while doing a 40 day fast.”
Two years ago, God called me to do a 40 day fast - 20 days of juice fasting followed immediately by a 20 day water fast. Prior to this, I had done several 3-day fasts and one 10 day fast.
When I started, God spoke to me to say that He wanted me to do a 40 day fast and that it was critically important (both spiritually and physically) that I do so. However, I felt lead not announce it publicly or parade it. So I told only those who needed to know, my family and certain friends/prayer partners, that I was fasting. On the inside, I knew what He was calling me to 40 days, but it was an enormous help to not broadcast the full extent of the length of the fast since everyone would have told me I was either completely crazy or a member of some spiritual elite corps.
For the first 20 days I did a juice fast, the first 5 days was really pretty easy. I had enough energy and was enjoying my times of prayer and the feeling of clarity. However, on the 20th day, I felt directed me to start water fasting. I felt God warn me that I would suffer for 3 days but afterward it would get better and to keep going. I am so glad he warned me because days 21 to 23 were physically excruciating. I had blinding headaches and my body continued to expel impacted matter I had stored up in my colon. I could barely get out of bed but clung to His promise that after 3 days it would be better. After 3 days of water, it lifted. The headaches and body aches stopped and, although still weak, I was no longer in pain.
I have a husband, 3 young children, and a home business and a ministry, so I could not put everything on hold to do this 40 day fast. I prayed that God would supply the grace and strength to continue to fulfill my daily responsibilities. A very strong teacher in the Lord told me that if God was calling you to do an extended fast, then He would supply you with the abundant grace to complete it. I found this to be completely true. To to this day, I can't explain in earthly terms how I managed to keep on cleaning, cooking, taking care of the kids, running a Bible study group, planning for the holidays, and taking care of business transactions while doing a 40 day fast. But God was faithful.
I was sad to break the fast on day 40 but I knew it was time to do so. I still don't fully understand all the reasons why God so impressed on me the necessity to do this; but I do believe it literally saved my life. Spiritually, I was in deep need of detoxification and there are some things that can only be removed through prayer and fasting. Physically, I used to suffer from fatigue and always needed to take naps to get through the day and that all changed after this fast.
If God calls you to an extended fast, He is able to abundantly supply all of your needs. For me, the important thing was to keep it low key. People tended to have 1 of 2 reactions: to either think I was a total freak or that I was a super-spiritual giant. I am neither. I was just trying to be obedient to what I knew He wanted me to do. He’s so good!
Related Article: That Fasting High