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Fasting
Denying yourself to draw near to God, what fasting is for, and what it isn't.
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1 What Fasting Actually Is ○
Matthew 6:16-18
- Fasting is denying a physical appetite on purpose, to sharpen spiritual focus. Matthew 6:16-18 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting."
- It is meant to be practiced quietly before God, not paraded so others are impressed. Matthew 6:16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."
- The Father who sees what is done in secret rewards fasting done for Him alone. Matthew 6:18 "So that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
- Old Testament believers fasted as an expression of humility before God. Psalm 35:13 "Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting."
- Fasting is paired with prayer throughout Scripture, rather than standing alone as a discipline. Ezra 8:23 "So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer."
2 Jesus and Fasting ○
Matthew 4:1-2
- Jesus fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness before His public ministry began. Matthew 4:1-2 "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."
- Jesus was led by the Spirit into that season of fasting, not simply choosing it Himself. Luke 4:1 "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness."
- Jesus assumed His followers would fast, saying 'when you fast', not 'if you fast'. Matthew 6:16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting."
- Jesus said His disciples would fast once He, the bridegroom, was taken from them. Matthew 9:15 "The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."
- Jesus resisted temptation during His fast by relying on Scripture, not personal strength. Matthew 4:4 "Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
3 Fasting Before Major Decisions ○
Acts 13:2-3
- The church at Antioch fasted while worshipping, and the Spirit spoke to them there. Acts 13:2 "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'"
- After fasting and praying, the leaders sent Paul and Barnabas out for their mission. Acts 13:3 "So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off."
- Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed again when appointing elders in every church. Acts 14:23 "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord."
- Nehemiah fasted and prayed for days before approaching the king with a difficult request. Nehemiah 1:4 "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
- Daniel turned to fasting specifically while seeking understanding from God. Daniel 9:3 "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes."
4 A Whole City Fasted ○
Jonah 3:5-10
- The people of Nineveh believed God's warning and proclaimed a citywide fast. Jonah 3:5 "The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth."
- Even the king of Nineveh joined the fast, exchanging his robe for sackcloth. Jonah 3:6 "When Jonah's warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust."
- The fast was paired with a genuine turning from evil ways, not fasting alone. Jonah 3:8 "Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence."
- God saw their actions and relented from the disaster He had planned. Jonah 3:10 "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened."
- Joel called the whole community, even infants, to gather and fast together. Joel 2:15-16 "Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Gather the people... those who are nursing."
5 Fasting Is Not Only About Food ○
Isaiah 58:6-7
- God describes the fast He truly wants as loosening the chains of injustice. Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?"
- True fasting includes sharing food with the hungry and providing shelter for the homeless. Isaiah 58:7 "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe them?"
- Fasting without a changed heart toward others was directly rebuked by God through Isaiah. Isaiah 58:3-4 "'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it?'... Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists."
- Fasting rightly practiced is meant to produce justice and compassion, not only personal discipline. Isaiah 58:6-7 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice... and to share your food with the hungry."
- God promises that light will break out for those who fast this way. Isaiah 58:8 "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear."
6 Esther's Fast Before a Risk ○
Esther 4:16
- Esther asked all the Jews in Susa to fast with her for three days before she acted. Esther 4:16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day."
- She was preparing to approach the king uninvited, a request that could have cost her life. Esther 4:11 "All the king's officials know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death."
- Esther said, 'if I perish, I perish', showing the fast prepared her heart, not just her plan. Esther 4:16 "When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."
- Mordecai had urged her to consider that she had come to her position for such a time as this. Esther 4:14 "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"
- The fast preceded courage, it did not replace the need to act. Esther 5:1-2 "On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace."
7 Fasting for Discernment ○
Acts 14:23
- Paul and Barnabas committed new elders to the Lord with prayer and fasting in every church. Acts 14:23 "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."
- Fasting accompanied moments of appointing leadership, treating it as a serious decision. Acts 14:23 "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord."
- Moses fasted forty days on the mountain while receiving the covenant from God. Exodus 34:28 "Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water."
- Fasting is one way believers position themselves to hear God more clearly. Daniel 9:3 "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes."
- David fasted while pleading with God over his sick child. 2 Samuel 12:16 "David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground."
8 What Fasting Is Not ○
Isaiah 58:3-4
- God rebuked fasting that was paired with exploitation of workers. Isaiah 58:3 "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers."
- Fasting that ends in quarrels and strife is not the fast God is looking for. Isaiah 58:4 "Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high."
- Jesus warned against fasting to look somber so people would notice. Matthew 6:16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting."
- Outward religious performance without a changed heart was repeatedly rejected by the prophets. Isaiah 1:11-13 "'The multitude of your sacrifices, what are they to me?' says the Lord... Stop bringing meaningless offerings!"
- God desires mercy, not empty ritual, as the substance behind any spiritual discipline. Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."
9 Fasting and Repentance ○
Joel 2:12-13
- God calls His people to return to Him with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Joel 2:12 "'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.'"
- He asks for hearts to be torn, not simply garments, as an outward show. Joel 2:13 "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate."
- God is described as gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, which is why repentance matters more than ritual. Joel 2:13 "For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."
- Ahab's fasting after Elijah's rebuke led God to delay judgment during his lifetime. 1 Kings 21:27-29 "When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted... Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day."
- Genuine humility before God, expressed through fasting, has repeatedly changed outcomes in Scripture. 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven."
10 The Goal of Fasting ○
Joel 2:12-13
- Fasting is a means of drawing near to God, not an end in itself. Joel 2:12 "'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.'"
- God's ultimate desire is a returned, loyal heart, which fasting is meant to help produce. Joel 2:13 "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God."
- Jesus described true worshippers as those who worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth."
- Fasting practiced for its own sake, without seeking God, misses the point entirely. Zechariah 7:5-6 "Ask... 'When you fasted and mourned... was it really for me that you fasted? And when you eat and drink, are you not just feasting for yourselves?'"
- The reward of fasting is promised by the Father who sees what is done in secret. Matthew 6:18 "So that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."