Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Matthew 4:1-2

If you ever get a chance to visit the Holy Land, one of the stark contrasts you will notice is that the bustling city of Jerusalem butts right up against the Judaean wilderness on the eastern side. Because there is so little water, it’s a place that’s largely been uninhabited through history.

Over and over in the Bible, God shows up in the wilderness. Think of Moses and the burning bush, the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land, or John the Baptist emerging from the wilderness to announce the Messiah’s arrival. In church history, monks escaped the world’s distractions and met God in the wilderness. Notice the movement: they “detached” from distractions in order to “attach” to God as the one who completely meets needs. The wilderness is a place that reveals our dependency. 

An intentional period of fasting then is purposely entering a wilderness - a digital wilderness for us - and into a time where one “detaches” in order to “attach” to God. Picture it like this: the physical giving up of something (“detaching”) severs the cord between your heart and that thing that might be ruling over you. Your heart can then rest in God (attach) instead. Don’t be surprised then if it’s hard to fast, to disconnect from media. Your heart is attached! The allure and power of these things to pull us in is unmistakable. But your heart yearns for something that only the Lord can provide. Pay attention then to your heart and its hunger to depend on something other than God.

Father, only when I’m deprived can I honestly see what my heart is attached to. These things fill me, give me a sense of control or power over my circumstances. Instead I present ourselves to you along with others to say that only you can fill and empower me. Let me see clearly that only in my attachment to you will everything else fade in importance.