Growing up I had a narrow picture of fasting: don’t eat food for some period, which as a student sounded challenging. In Matthew 6 and all over scripture we get a rich picture of fasting as an opportunity to grow closer to God, to challenge the status quo in our lives, and dig deeper into prayer.
In the wilderness, God gives daily bread instead of long-term security, teaching His people to trust Him one day at a time. The in-between season becomes a place where dependence replaces self-sufficiency.
Caught between Pharaoh’s army and the sea, Israel faces the terrifying reality that freedom often feels uncertain before it feels victorious. God leads them into impossible places so they can learn that His presence makes a way where none exists.
On the night of Passover, Israel learns that deliverance comes not through strength or certainty, but through trusting God in vulnerability and surrender. Before they ever reach freedom, they must learn what it means to belong to God and move when He says go.