Bible Verses About Fasting
Fasting, a practice observed across many faiths and for various personal reasons, holds a significant place in the Bible as a spiritual discipline. It’s more than just abstaining from food; it’s a dedicated time of setting aside earthly desires to focus more intently on God, seeking His face, and drawing closer to Him. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, we find instances of individuals and communities engaging in fasting, not as a means to earn God's favor, but as an expression of heartfelt devotion, humility, and earnest seeking. When we fast, we are aligning our physical hunger with a deeper spiritual hunger for God's presence and will. It is a way of saying that our need for God is greater than our need for anything else. This collection of scriptures will illuminate the multifaceted nature of biblical fasting, revealing its purposes and the spirit in which it should be undertaken.
"He was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments."
"David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth."
"It happened, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,"
"‘Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?"
"“Yet even now,” says Yahweh, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”"
"“Moreover, when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”"
"Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”"
"and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years, who didn’t depart from the temple, serving God with fastings and petitions night and day."
"As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away."
"When they had appointed elders for them in every assembly, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed."
"Don’t deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and may come together again, that Satan doesn’t tempt you because of your lack of self-control."
Frequently asked questions
- In the Old Testament, fasting was often associated with repentance, mourning, and seeking God’s intervention in times of distress. The people of Israel would fast collectively as a sign of national repentance and humility before God, as seen in the book of Joel when disaster threatened the land.