When we fast, we join Jesus in the wilderness. We put ourselves in a place where God can finally get to us; a place where we are not all armored-up and defended. We strip away some of the areas of strength that we rely on just a little too much, and let God in. We actually ask God to mess with us. We invite God to use our weakness to teach us where we need to build strength. It’s an important aspect of our spiritual journey. And, it’s the real focus of Lent.

You have lessons to learn, but you won’t learn them by watching tv five hours a day. You have deep hungers you will never explore if you keep stuffing yourself with food every four hours. You have deep deficiencies that you will never face unless you sit alone in the dark and wait for your demons to show up.

Source: Why Christians Need to Observe Lent