What Does the Bible Say about Fasting & Prayer?
Fasting is an extremely important aspect of building our relationship with God. But exactly what does the Bible say about fasting and why is it so instrumental in elevating our faith?
Let’s examine and discuss the specific biblical scriptures on fasting and prayer to understand all the details!
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American psychologist and #1 New York Times best selling author, Dr. Adam Grant, states that one the best ways to be coached on your way to being successful is by asking for advice, as opposed to feedback or correction.
Seeking advice is a proactive approach towards growth and development. It prepares you for the next step that you’re about to take, without exposing yourself to criticism.
And who better to ask for advice, or seek out for guidance, than our Father in heaven?! The alpha and omega of life coaches!
That’s why fasting and prayer is so crucial to our development. It prepares us to seek out God appropriately, connect with Him and receive His advice and favor.
Let’s see what the verses of fasting in the Bible have to say, and we’d discuss their lessons and takeaways.
29 Powerful Biblical Scriptures on Fasting and Prayer
1. Exodus 34:28
“So he (Moses) was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”
2. Deuteronomy 9:9
“When I (Moses) went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water.”
3. Judges 20:26
“Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.”
4. 2 Samuel 1:12
“And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”
5. 2 Samuel 12:15-16
“And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.”
6. 1 Kings 21:25-29
“There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.
He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.
And when Ahab heard those words (Elijah’s warning from God, regarding Ahab’s punishment), he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.
And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days…”
7. 2 Chronicles 20:3-4
“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.”
8. Ezra 8:21-23
“Then I (Ezra) proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.
For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him.’
So we fasted and implored our God for this, and He listened to our entreaty.”
9. Nehemiah 1:4
“As soon as I (Nehemiah) heard these words (regarding the chaos and destruction in Jerusalem) I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
And I said, ‘O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments…
Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you.'”
10. Esther 4:15-16
“Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.
I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.'”
11. Psalm 35:13
“Yet when they were ill, I (David) grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them…”
12. Psalm 69:10
“Passion for your (God’s) house has consumed me (David), and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast, they scoff at me. When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me. I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.
But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor.”
13. Isaiah 58
(A message from God, regarding how to fast and pray – via the prophet Isaiah)
“‘Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins!
Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.’
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’
‘I will tell you why!’ I respond. ‘It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?
No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ He will quickly reply.
‘Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.
Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!'”
14. Daniel 9:3
“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.”
15. Daniel 10:2-3
“When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.”
16. Joel 1:14
“Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people of the land into the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to him there.”
17. Joel 2:12-13
“That is why the Lord says, ‘Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.’
Return to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.”
18. Jonah 3:4-10
“On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: ‘Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!’
The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow…
…When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.”
19. Matthew 4:1-4
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.For forty days and forty nights He fasted and became very hungry.
During that time the devil came and said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.’
But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”‘”
20. Matthew 6:16-18
(A direct message from Jesus on how to fast and pray)
“‘And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.
But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.'”
21. Matthew 17:18-21 (NKJV)
“And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him (the possessed boy); and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said’ ‘Why could we not cast it out?’
So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
22. Luke 2:37
“She (Anna, a prophet) never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.
She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”
23. Luke 4:1-2
“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.”
24. Luke 5:35
“Jesus responded, ‘Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.'”
25. Luke 18:12
“Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ‘Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people – cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.
But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.”
I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.'”
26. Acts 13:2-3
“One day as these men (a few prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria) were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.’
So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.”
27. Acts 14:23
“Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”
28. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5
“Do not deprive one another (married couples and intimacy), except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
29. James 2:26
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
What does the Bible Say about Fasting and its Benefits?
Why should we fast?
Fasting connects us to God! If we examine all the scriptures about fasting in the Bible, we’d find this one thing in common. Fasting is intended to bring us closer to God.
Whereas the specific circumstances surrounding a fast may vary, or the desired results may differ from person to person… the principle remains the same.
Fasting is a personal sacrifice to God, which strengthens our bonds with Him. Once this is accomplished, we can then experience the host of benefits that come along with having His favor.
Key Takeaways for Biblical Scriptures on Fasting and Prayer
According to the fasting and prayer scriptures that we quoted above, we can appreciate these lessons:
The Bible on Fasting & Purposes of Fasting
1. Fasting prepares us to receive messages, gifts and blessings from God.
2. Fasting prepares us for action or to execute a task with the favor of God.
3. We demonstrate our commitment to God by fasting and praying.
4. Fasting and praying shows God that we are humble and willing to work for His presence and favor in our lives.
5. Fasting and prayer reinforces our repentance if we are undergoing spiritual revival. It helps to guide us into a new direction.
6. A period of praying and fasting is a test that we take voluntarily, to strengthen our spiritual aptitude.
7. Praying and fasting can act as an outlet for grief, as we cry out to God.
8. Fasting takes your prayers to a whole other level! Praying, accompanied by fasting, is next level intense.
9. Fasting helps you to develop a heightened sense of spiritual awareness as your focus on God improves. This also makes it easier to receive messages more clearly from Him.
Critical Lessons for Fasting and Prayer Scriptures
1. Fasting is a personal sacrifice to God.
2. Fasting should not be advertised, broadcasted or used to feed one’s spiritual ego.
3. The physical act itself is tough. However, you are to keep the effects of your fasting private and portray yourself positively.
4. Fasting should be done with a specific objective. Even if it’s solely to build a closer relationship with God. Fast with this in mind!
5. Fasting should be accompanied by righteous living and humility.
6. Focus on God and refrain from worldly habits as much as possible, during your fast. You are to mentally and physically refrain from whatever you choose to give up.
7. Let God be your guide. Read your Bible, pray, research fasting scriptures in the Bible and seek God to determine how you should go about fasting.
8. As you grow your relationship with God, you would receive spiritual conviction to know when to fast and how to go about fasting.
Prayer for Fasting and Prayer Guidance
Now that you are familiar with the Bible scriptures on fasting and educated on the details, let’s say a prayer for God’s blessing of wisdom and guidance. This way we could step confidently and effectively into a life of praying and fasting.
Firstly, Jesus Christ is our communication channel to God, as stated in John 14:6 and 1 Timothy 2:5. We can only reach God by praying through Jesus. To do so, we must acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior.
If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, please do so now by saying the Sinner’s Prayer below.
If you have already accepted Christ, please skip on to the actual prayer for fasting and prayer guidance, below. You can recite a similar prayer, from your heart whenever you feel convicted to undergo a period of praying and fasting.
Guidance Prayer for Fasting and Prayer Times
With full focus on God, please sincerely deliver the following prayer (or a similar version in your own words):
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son. I bow before your throne and I worship your mighty name.
Dear Lord, you are my provider. You are my guide and you are my deliverer. In you alone do I trust and depend on. Please forgive me of my sins. Thank you Father God! You are worthy of all praise!
Lord I pray that you bless me with spiritual discernment and wisdom. Help me to understand what needs to be done. Guide me on my journey to become closer to you.
Bless me on my period of prayer and fasting. Help me to act in a manner that is pleasing to you and to execute my fast satisfactorily dear God. Bless me with your supernatural wisdom dear Father.
Lord you also said in your Word that the Holy Spirit would intercede on my behalf if ever I fall short. Help me if I fall short Lord! Bless me on this journey to discover you on another level dear God and draw me close to you.
Speak to me, bless me and guide me as I continue to walk with you. In Jesus’ precious name I pray… Amen!
Frequently Asked Questions for How to Fast as a Christian
FAQ: What are the biblical rules for fasting?
The biblical rules for fasting should be a combination of the instructions discussed in Isaiah 58 and Matthew 6:16-18 where directions for fasting are clearly stated.
Fasting should be a personal, private sacrifice between you and God and should not be broadcasted for popularity, praise or personal recognition. Fasting must also be accompanied by living Godly lives.
FAQ: What is the Daniel Fast in the Bible?
The Daniel fast in the Bible is a 3 week fasting regime where practitioners consume no snacks, sweets, comfort food, processed food, stimulants, meat, eggs, dairy or alcohol. It is modeled after the fast conducted by the prophet Daniel (Daniel Chapter 10).
Whereas it is okay to eat and drink during a Daniel fast, all consumed food and beverages should be natural. Fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, water and fresh juices are okay.
FAQ: What is the spiritual meaning of fasting?
Fasting serves as a means to elevate your spiritual life, and to improve your relationship with God. It shows humility, discipline and personal sacrifice, while heightening your focus on God. In return, you are able to hear from Him with spiritual and mental clarity.
It shows God that you are willing to put in the work to earn His favor and opens up a next level spiritual connection with Him.
FAQ: What does God say to do when fasting?
Matthew 6:16-18 states that, “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting… But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.”
The Bible categorically states that fasting should not be done for show or self gratification! Isaiah 58 also states that fasting must be accompanied by living godly lives! We must be honorable, respectful, loving, caring and honest!
FAQ: How do you properly fast for God?
Fasting for God is a personal and private act of giving up worldly habits or things that our worldly bodies enjoy, in order to improve our relationship with God. This can be food, carnal relations for married couples, indulging in worldly entertainment, etc. Or a combination of all of them.
It is important that while we are giving up those worldly habits, we must be simultaneously seeking God by praying, reading our Bibles and worshipping.
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35 Powerful Scriptures on Kindness
What Does the Bible Say About Fasting Final Thoughts
Fasting is a personal act designed to elevate your relationship with God. It should be treated with respect, a certain level of privacy and be supported by a Godly lifestyle.
As an advocate for fasting, I strongly recommend that you incorporate it into your spiritual arsenal. However, as far as the specific terms and conditions of your fast goes, you seek God, read your Bible and let Him lead you.
I cannot begin to stress on how powerful it is and the wonders that it has done in my life, by serving as a tool to open up that communication channel with God. As your friend in Christ, I challenge you to try it!
Are there any other fasting scriptures in the Bible that we may have missed? Do you have any thoughts regarding the topic? Share with us in the comments section, we’d love to hear what you have to say!
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