The Purpose of Fasting:
Matthew 6:16-18
"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Reflection: Jesus teaches that fasting should be done with sincerity and not for seeking attention or praise from others. True fasting is a private spiritual discipline between the believer and God, and God will reward those who fast with the right motives.
Acts 13:2-3
"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.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off."
Reflection: Fasting, along with prayer and worship, was a means of seeking God's guidance and direction for ministry. The early church leaders fasted and prayed before making important decisions and commissioning missionaries.
Ezra 8:21-23
"Then I 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."
Reflection: Fasting was a means of humbling oneself before God and seeking His protection and provision. Ezra and the Israelites fasted and prayed for a safe journey, trusting in God's care rather than relying on human protection.
Examples of Fasting:
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.'"
Reflection: Esther called for a corporate fast among the Jews when she was about to risk her life by approaching the king uninvited. The fast was a means of seeking God's favor and intervention in a time of crisis.
Daniel 9:3-5
"Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, 'O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.'"
Reflection: Daniel fasted as an expression of repentance and seeking God's mercy. He coupled fasting with prayer, confession, and humility before God.
Nehemiah 1:4
"As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven."
Reflection: Nehemiah responded to the news of Jerusalem's distress with fasting, weeping, and prayer. His fasting was a sign of his deep concern and a means of seeking God's intervention.
Fasting and Spiritual Breakthrough:
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."
Reflection: King Jehoshaphat called for a national fast when faced with the threat of enemy armies. The fast was a means of seeking God's help and deliverance in a time of great need.
Jonah 3:5-9
"And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, 'By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.'"
Reflection: The people of Nineveh, from the king to the least of them, responded to Jonah's message with fasting, repentance, and prayer. Their fasting was a sign of their humility and desire for God's mercy, and God relented from the judgment He had planned.
Isaiah 58:6-7
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"
Reflection: God desires a fast that is not just about abstaining from food but also about acting justly, showing compassion, and caring for the needy. True fasting should lead to tangible acts of love and service.
Fasting and Spiritual Discipline:
Luke 2:37
"And then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day."
Reflection: Anna, a prophetess, exemplified a life of devotion to God through regular fasting and prayer. Her fasting was part of her continual worship and service in the temple.
1 Corinthians 7:5
"Do not deprive one another, 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."
Reflection: Paul suggests that married couples may choose to abstain from sexual relations for a limited time in order to devote themselves to prayer. This form of fasting is to be done by mutual agreement and not prolonged, to avoid temptation.
Matthew 4:1-2
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry."
Reflection: Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. His fasting was a time of spiritual preparation and testing, as He faced temptation from the devil.
Warnings and Instructions about Fasting:
Matthew 6:16-18
"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Reflection: Jesus warns against fasting with the wrong motives, such as seeking attention or admiration from others. He instructs His followers to fast in a way that is not obvious to others, focusing on the spiritual aspect rather than the outward appearance.
1 Corinthians 8:8
"Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do."
Reflection: Paul reminds the Corinthians that fasting or abstaining from certain foods does not make a person more or less spiritual. The focus should be on the heart and one's relationship with God, not on the act of fasting itself.
Romans 14:3
"Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him."
Reflection: Paul cautions against judging others based on their personal convictions about fasting or dietary practices. Believers should extend grace and respect to one another, recognizing that God accepts both those who fast and those who do not.
Fasting and Prayer:
Mark 9:28-29
"And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, 'Why could we not cast it out?' And he said to them, 'This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.'"
Reflection: Jesus teaches that some spiritual challenges require the combination of prayer and fasting. Fasting, coupled with prayer, can be a powerful means of seeking God's intervention and breakthrough in difficult situations.
Luke 5:33-35
"And they said to him, 'The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.' And Jesus said to them, 'Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.'"
Reflection: Jesus explains that His disciples will fast after He, the bridegroom, is taken away from them. Fasting is associated with mourning and seeking God in His absence, and it is often coupled with prayer.
Acts 14:23
"And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed."
Reflection: Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the churches they established, committing them to the Lord with prayer and fasting. Fasting was a means of seeking God's guidance and blessing upon these new leaders.
Fasting and Seeking God:
Psalm 35:13
"But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest."
Reflection: The psalmist, David, fasted and prayed when others were sick, humbling himself before God and interceding on their behalf. Fasting was a means of expressing his deep concern and seeking God's mercy.
Daniel 10:2-3
"In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks."
Reflection: Daniel fasted for three weeks, abstaining from choice foods and anointing himself, as he mourned and sought God's understanding of a vision he had received. His fasting was an expression of his earnest desire to hear from God.
Joel 2:12
"'Yet even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.'"
Reflection: Through the prophet Joel, God calls His people to return to Him with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Fasting is presented as a means of demonstrating genuine repentance and seeking God's mercy.
Blessings and Rewards of Fasting:
Isaiah 58:8-9
"Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness."
Reflection: God promises that when His people fast with the right motives and actions, their light will break forth, they will experience healing and protection, and God will answer their prayers. Fasting, combined with righteous living and caring for others, leads to God's blessings.
Matthew 6:17-18
"But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Reflection: Jesus assures His followers that when they fast with the right motives, not seeking attention from others but focusing on God, their Father in heaven will see their fasting and reward them. God recognizes and honors the sincerity of heart in fasting.
Acts 13:2-3
"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.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off."
Reflection: As the early church leaders worshiped and fasted, the Holy Spirit spoke and directed them to send out Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for missionary work. Fasting created an environment conducive to hearing from God and receiving His guidance for ministry.