Question 1

Why should I fast?

Accepted Answer

Luke 4:1-2, 14Then 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. . . . Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power.Fasting can help us develop a more immediate sense of God’s presence. Some have said that it is praying with the body. Fasting feeds the soul and is a significant means for developing our spiritual strength. Fasting is abstaining from things that are good (even necessary) in order to give greater attention to spiritual concerns. Fasting is one of the most frequently mentioned spiritual exercises in Scripture, occurring in a great variety of situations.2 Chronicles 20:3Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.Fasting helps us become more focused on God so we can better receive his guidance.Joel 1:14Announce 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.Fasting helps us focus corporately and individually on repentance. As we fast, we experience our dependence on food, which also helps us to better understand our dependence on God.Ezra 8:21-23I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. . . . So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.We can fast to seek God’s protection and help.Esther 4:16“Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”We can fast to seek courage for a specific challenge ahead.1 Chronicles 10:12All their mighty warriors brought the bodies of Saul and his sons back to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones beneath the great tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.Fasting can help us in our grieving process. It allows us to show honor to those who have died and focus on the meaning of their sacrifice.Daniel 10:2-3When 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.Fasting can be a significant means to keep us from being swallowed up by our culture. A normal fast is often disruptive to daily life, which can be a very good thing. At other times, though, we may sense the need to support our prayers or spiritual activities with fasting, yet also feel the need to sustain our health and energy. In such times, we may give up significant items in a partial fast, as Daniel gave up rich foods, meat, and wine.

Question 2

When is fasting appropriate?

Accepted Answer

2 Samuel 3:35David had refused to eat anything on the day of the funeral, and now everyone begged him to eat. But David had made a vow, saying, “May God strike me and even kill me if I eat anything before sundown.”Fasting is appropriate in times of mourning.2 Samuel 1:12They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord’s army and the nation of Israel, because they had died by the sword that day.Fasting is appropriate in times of crisis.Deuteronomy 9:18-19“Then, as before, I [Moses] threw myself down before the Lord for forty days and nights. I ate no bread and drank no water because of the great sin you had committed by doing what the Lord hated, provoking him to anger. I feared that the furious anger of the Lord, which turned him against you, would drive him to destroy you. But again he listened to me.”Ezra 10:6Then Ezra left the front of the Temple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He spent the night there without eating or drinking anything. He was still in mourning because of the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles.Fasting is appropriate in times of intercession for the sins of others.Acts 14:23Paul 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.Fasting is appropriate in times of dedication.2 Samuel 12:16David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.Fasting is appropriate on behalf of others in times of a life-threatening illness.Jonah 3:5The 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.Fasting is appropriate in times of repentance.

Question 3

What are some guidelines for fasting? How should I fast?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 58:3-7“‘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.”The importance of fasting is not in the act or ritual but in our motives. It is not what you do but why you do it. We must truly want to hear from God and be prepared to act on what we hear. Our outward action of fasting needs to express the deepest desire of our hearts.Matthew 6:16-18“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.”Fasting, like prayer, should not be a public performance but part of our private relationship with God.Daniel 9:3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.Fasting and prayer often go together as two sides of a single coin. The purpose of fasting is to help us open our ears so we can hear from God.Acts 13:2-3One day as these men were worshiping 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.Fasting can also be used in corporate worship when a group of believers needs certain guidance from the Lord.