Fasting is the ancient practice of not eating for spiritual purposes. In the Bible, we see it among believers and non-believers. Daniel fasted for three weeks (Daniel 10:3). Darius “spent the night fasting” when Daniel was condemned (Daniel 6:18). Both fasts were followed by a dramatic demonstration of God’s power, specifically a prophetic vision and an angelic rescue.
Fasting was often associated with mourning. It was part of the Day of Atonement, the Jewish holy day when the people afflicted themselves in sorrow for their sins (Leviticus 16:29-34). Nehemiah fasted as he mourned the sorry state of the wall around Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:3-4).
King David fasted while his child with Bathsheba lay dying (II Samuel 12:15-17). His servants were confused, though. Why did he fast while the child lived but then clean up and eat after he died? The man after God’s own heart responded: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (II Samuel 12:22-23).
David understood that fasting is more than a way to mourn: it is about humbly seeking God. When Ezra prepared to lead a group of exiles to Jerusalem, he proclaimed a fast “that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey” (Ezra 8:21). As Esther prepared to ask the king to stop the annihilation of her people, she called for the Jews in the city to fast (Esther 4:16).
We see this in the New Testament, too. The leaders in Antioch were “worshiping the Lord and fasting” when the Holy Spirit chose Paul and Barnabas as missionaries (Acts 13:2). Fasting and prayer sent them on their journey (Acts 13:3). When they appointed elders in every church on the way back, “with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord” (Acts 14:23).
Whether giving, praying, fasting, or anything else, God doesn’t want empty ritual. In Isaiah 58, God says that His fast brings freedom, feeds the hungry, houses the homeless, and covers the naked. “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.” (Isaiah 58:8). God wants us to serve Him from our hearts, humbly seeking Him and having our lives changed in the process.