Fasting is found throughout the Bible. Many people are not familiar with fasting, but the Bible teaches us to fast. If the Bible teaches us to do something, we should want to do it.
Sometimes fasting is communal: As when Queen Esther asked her people to fast. At other times it is something two people will do together as when Paul and Barnabas fasted for the elders they were about to commit to the Lord’s service. At other times it is personal as when Moses fasted on Mt. Sinai or when Jesus fasted in the desert.
Christians are called to fast. Jesus supports the discipline of fasting both by His own personal example of fasting and when He says “When you fast” not if. (Mt 6:17) It is clear that Jesus teaches us the importance of fasting both through His example and by His words.
Fasting must be connected with prayer and it must be sincere. Otherwise, it becomes only something to improve one’s health. When we refrain from eating so that we can reduce weight, reduce cholesterol or lower blood pressure, we are dieting, not fasting. Prayer must be the foundation of fasting. If it is, then fasting strengthens the blessing of prayer within us. If prayer is the spiritual weapon, fasting is the spiritual whetstone on which it is sharpened. Fasting disciplines us to want God even more. It refocuses on God.
Food is an essential need for life. Much of our daily routine involves food. When we fast, and when the fasting is united to prayer, the entire body, our entire self, becomes involved in the prayer. Prayer is no longer an endeavor of only the mind or the heart. Instead, the entire person, body and soul, is engaged in prayer. We remind ourselves that man does not live on bread alone. Fasting reminds us of our dependence on God. It reminds us of our hunger for God. It humbles us before God.
When should we fast? There are seven moments when fasting is especially important and which are mentioned in the Bible:
To prepare for something important: such as when Moses fasted on Mt. Sinai awaiting God to give him the 10 commandments, or when Jesus fasted in the desert before beginning His public ministry.
To seek wisdom as when Paul and Barnabas (Acts: 14:23) prepared to select elders and commission them for the Lord’s service.
To deal with grief as when the Prophet Nehemiah laments the destruction of Jerusalem. (Neh 1:1-4)
To show repentance as when King David repents of his adultery. (2 Sam 12:16)
To seek protection as when the Prophet Ezra asks for a safe journey. (Ez 8:21-23)
To gain success in on upcoming difficulty as when the people fast before battle. (Judg 20:26)
To praise God as when the Prophetess Anna remains in the temple awaiting the Messiah, constantly praying and fasting. (Lk 2:36)
How should we fast? There are many ways to fast. Fasting must involve a serious effort but, at the same time, cannot be done in such a way that it endangers our health. From the outset, the fast should have a definite time period of how many days or weeks the fast will last. Some types of fast include not having food or drink, except water, from sunrise to sunset. Another type is to only eat one meal a day along with two small snacks. The idea of a fast is to engage the body in prayer. The hunger of the stomach needs to remind us of the hunger of the heart.
It is not too late to make fasting a part of our observance of Lent and to embrace its benefits in our spiritual life.