Biblical Basis for Fasting
7 Biblical Examples of When to Fast
Leaving Ordinary Prayer & Fasting Behind – Part 3
I feel it necessary to remind us that this is next level prayer. The goal is to take what we know on the topic of prayer to the next level. In the previous lesson we describe what we normally or commonly know about prayer and fasting, but in this lesson we have only one goal. We need to see what the Bible has to say. The average person believes that what they know on a religious or spiritual topic automatically aligns with the Bible. My friends, this is not true. In fact it’s the furthest from the truth. The more we teach Biblical concepts the more we find out that very few people (the uncommon) read, study, and know what it has to say on such topics as prayer and fasting.
That reminds me. The Bible in of itself was written so that we would know the difference between normal thinking (or beliefs) and what God has to say about it. If we left prayer and fasting right where we have it, then we’d never grow nor take it to the next level. Let’s get started.
Fasting doesn’t always include prayer.
Before I share the seven reasons we’ve discovered for fasting, I need to debunk the biggest mistake we’ve all made when it comes to fasting. Fasting does not always include prayer. This is important to note. Just because someone says he or she is fasting does not mean she or he is praying. With that out of the way, here are seven scenarios that might require a fasting response.
Reasons to Fast and Pray
- Fast as you are mourning the loss or death of a loved one.
When someone you love, esteem, spend years with, and depend on deeply passes from life on earth to life in eternity, we all know that this time can be very difficult. We call it bereavement. Take a second and think of a person you’ve lost and it took your breath away. The Bible says that when King David, before he was king, received the news of King Saul and his son Jonathan’s death, David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow. The next thing they did surprised me. On that very day they mourned, wept, and fasted all day. [1] Notice also that this act of fasting did not mention prayer. I just needed to point that out.
Could it be that we get stuck and unable to overcome a tragic loss because we leave out one key step? Could it be that we should not only be mourning and weeping, but fasting as well? I know this is an uncommon act, because we tend to do the opposite. We mourn, weep, and eat. Next time you go through a tough loss and struggle to stand, add fasting to your mourning and weeping. This is next level fasting. - Fast & pray over your calling.
Whether you realize it or not, we’ve all been called to do something. Not to be too deep, you have a purpose that God has given you. Before Barnabas and Saul set out to do their work for the Lord, they first fasted and prayed. [2] I really like this because before Pamela and I took on our assignment of coaching a team of pray-ers for our church, we began first with a time of prayer and fasting. In hindsight, we can now see what a difference that has made.
Could it be that your calling isn’t fulfilling because you started your work without this time of prayer and fasting? By the way, that’s normal, but we’re not after normal, we’re after extraordinary. This is next level prayer. - Fast & pray when you have an important decision to make.
It’s said that during the start of the early Christian church that the apostles and others in authority had the tough task of appointing leaders due to the growth of the Church. Paul and Barnabas were such leaders who faced making such a decision. I can only imagine the weight they felt of getting this selection right. It’s recorded that when they appointed new leaders, they fasted and prayed. In other words, they placed these new leaders under the care of the Lord. [3]
Could it be that the reason we made a bad decision when facing an important choice is because we hadn’t fasted and prayed? Could fasting and prayer before making important decisions save us from the wrong decisions? This is next level prayer. - Fast & pray when you receive disturbing news or insurmountable odds.
I don’t know about you, but there have been times in life where I’ve received disturbing news as well as things that seemed insurmountable. I recall the time our cousin Americus informed us she had been diagnosed with cancer. That was a sobering blow, but it doesn’t have to be as paralyzing or as devastating as it is for a normal person. Here’s what I mean by that. God has given us an action we can take that transforms how this situation might go with us and for us. That action is called prayer and fasting.
Nehemiah received a report from his brother and his company that his hometown was in great trouble. At the receipt of this news, Nehemiah mourned, but he also fasted and prayed. [4] If you don’t know the rest of Nehemiah’s story, what you don’t know is that out of this time of fasting and prayer God used Nehemiah to reverse this devastating report that was brought to him.
Could it be that the troubling report you received hasn’t been reversed because you’ve not used this action to pray and fast that God has given you? This is next level prayer.
Jesus confronted a demon-possessed boy in front of a crowd of witnesses. Afterwards, the disciples who had tried to rid the boy of his demon, his illness, asked of Jesus: Why could we not rid the boy of his problem? Jesus responded with the actions that they could take in the future to handle such a situation. He said this required “prayer and fasting.” [5]
Could it be that there is something spiritual impacting your life that won’t be moved out until you engage in the act of prayer and fasting? This is next level prayer. - Fast when you must take steps of faith.
Queen Ester faced steps of faith which could have ended in her death. Before she approached the king which was against the law, she asked her adoptive-father and others to gather together in fasting. [6] When we face making decisions that could have irrevocable results, it’s best that we solicit spiritual support.
Could it be that things in your life are about to turn south and the only way to get out of it is with this one action, to fast and pray? - Fast and pray along with other believers.
Many times what we go through is bigger than our individual efforts can handle. In other words what we face will impact more than just ourselves. In fact, when an organization, a family, even a nation faces challenges, prayer and fast is the best way to unify for an answer.
In the days of Ezra the priest, Ezra proclaimed a fast so that he and the people could identify the right way to proceed. [7] Are we settling to go at life alone when help is just a fast and a prayer away?
Could it be that you’ve not identified the right way to proceed for your group because you’ve not proclaimed a fast to seek God for direction? - Fast and pray when an illness arises.
You might not think of it this way, but illness is a part of life. I’m not saying that you must suffer illnesses yourself, but there are people you know who suffer illnesses. The Bible provided a couple examples of one who fasted when illness struck. David on two occasions denied himself by fasting. For one group, he substituted eating with prayer. [8] Think about that. Whatever the illness was, it was so bad that he denied himself of food to pray for the need. He was so impacted that he prayed for one as if he or she were his best friend. On another occasion when he fasted, it was his own child who was sick unto death. [9]
Oftentimes, people may come to me with their personal request and want me to pray. On some of the occasions, I’ll ask the question, what are you doing with this request. Are you praying? Are you invested enough in seeing this request through by fasting? I’m not going to apologize this time because this is next level prayer!
Could it be that we don’t see the results we’d like to see because we don’t take it seriously enough for us to use this physically-spiritual act of fasting to take our requests (prayer) to the next level?
Compare what the Bible says about fasting to our common beliefs about fasting. Using these seven reasons that might prompt a fasting response, how will you add this to what you know about fasting? Then ask yourself how can you take this act to the next level. Have you considered fasting as one of your responses to, at a minimum, these seven scenarios? I think this is just the beginning. Fasting shouldn’t be something that’s feared or minimized or even forgotten, but rather a productivity tool used to aid one’s life. This is next level prayer!
Question: which of these seven scenarios have you used to prompt a “prayer & fasting” response?
[1] 2 Samuel 1:11-12 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/116/2sa.1.11-12.nlt
[2] Acts of the Apostles 13:1-3 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/116/act.13.1-3.nlt
[3] Acts of the Apostles 14:23 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/116/act.14.23.nlt
[4] Nehemiah 1:3-4 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/116/neh.1.3-4.nlt
[5] Mark 9:26-29 NKJV, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/114/MRK.9.26-29.NKJV
[6] Esther 4:15-16 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/116/est.4.15-16.nlt
[7] Ezra 8:21-23 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/EZR.8.21-23.NLT
[8] Psalms 35:13-14- MSG, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/97/PSA.35.13-14.MSG
[9] 2 Samuel 12:15-17 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 26, 2023, https://www.bible.com/116/2sa.12.15-17.nlt
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.
You must be logged in to post a comment.