There are over 50 Bible verses about fasting and prayer. Over 60 Scriptures that talk about fasting! That tells us we can not overstate the importance of fasting as Christians. Today we will look at each passage and answer the question, what does God say about fasting?
What Is Fasting and Prayer in the Bible?
The Spiritual discipline of fasting and prayer is something we as a culture have lost. All throughout Scripture we see people of faith took fasting seriously and practiced it regularly. What happened?
My hope in exploring these 50+ Bible verses about fasting in prayer is to spark the desire in others to practice this lost tool in our faith.
What is fasting and prayer?
Fasting is about drawing nearer to the Lord.
“But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV)
Fasting is about seeking Him with your whole heart about an issue in your life.
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1 NIV).
Fasting is about seeking His kingdom above the things of this earth for a specific amount of time and for a specific goal.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33 NIV).
Bible Verses About Fasting in the New Testament
Jesus fasted and taught about fasting. Fasting is between you and God and is to be done in secret.
Learn how fasting and prayer can change your life through these 50+ Bible Verses About Fasting And Prayer! Share on X““Now whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18 NASB)
Jesus Said We Will Fast!
In three of the gospels, we see Jesus say specifically that Believers will fast.
“Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
…The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.” (Mark 2:18-22 ESV)
We see it repeated almost exactly which says a lot.
“And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”… The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” (Luke 5:33-35 ESV)
Matthew’s account is the most quoted, but it says it the same way.
“Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:14-15 NASB)
Jesus said we will Fast. When we need Him a fast will be necessary because He is no longer physically on earth.
Related Post: Spiritual Fasting for Breakthrough: The Key to Awakening
An Old Testament Call to Fast and Pray
I often wonder if Jesus was thinking about this command from the Old Testament when He said we will fast.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)
Fasting is about humbling ourselves and seeking His face. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is one of the most powerful Bible verses about fasting and breakthrough! Every Israelite knew the call to fast and pray given in the text and they claimed it regularly.
Why don’t we?
Related Post: My First Fast with God
Reasons To Fast and Pray: Bible Verses About Fasting and Prayer
I wonder if we don’t fast and pray because we don’t know why we should. These Bible verses about fasting and prayer tell us why to fast and they highlight the benefits of fasting and prayer perfectly!
Related Post: Why Do We Fast and Pray? 5 Reasons God Calls His People To Fast
Fast and Pray When Choosing Leaders
The New Testament church spent time fasting and praying when making decisions about leadership.
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2 ESV)
“When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Acts 14:23 NASB)
Related Post: What Are The Spiritual Benefits of Fasting and Prayer?
Anointing Leaders With Fasting and Prayer
Not only did the New Testament Church fast and pray when deciding who should lead, they prayed when setting the leaders apart.
“Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:3 ESV)
Fast and Pray When Seeking Understanding
In the Old Testament, the Prophet Daniel sought God’s wisdom and understanding about a prophecy. Daniel was distressed about the answer and spent more time fasting.
“So I gave my attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” (Daniel 9:3 NASB)
“I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.” (Daniel 10:3 NASB)
Paul also fasted for clarity after he was blinded on the road to Damascus.
“And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” (Acts 9:9 ESV)
Needing a Word From God Leads to Fasting and Prayer
Mosses spent 40 days fasting while with the Lord as he received the 10 commandments. (That is extreme fasting but he had an extreme reason!)
“So he was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” (Exodus 34:28 NASB)
Who Fasted in the Bible for 40 Days?
Also, a common search query is, “Who fasted in the Bible for 40 days?” Moses is the first we see, but He is not the only one. Jesus and Elijah also fasted 40 days (others may have, but these were specified in Scripture).
“And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” (1 Kings 19:8 ESV)
“And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.” (Matthew 4:2 NASB)
When I think about fasting Scriptures for breakthroughs, those three are high on my list. Moses, Elijah, and Jesus worked powerfully for the Lord!
Fasting and Prayer Are High Forms of Worship
Typically we think of fasting and praying over hard things in our lives, but it can also just be a form of worship. We see this when we meet the widow who had been waiting for the arrival of the Messiah!
“And then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” (Luke 2:37 ESV)
Spiritual Warfare Through Fasting and Prayer
At one time, the disciples were upset that they could not cast out a demon. Jesus tells them that some demons can only be removed through fasting and prayer. Fasting and prayer are a form of Spiritual Warfare.
“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21 NKJV)
Note that this Bible verse about fasting and prayer from Matthew is not included in every translation.
“Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, ‘Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?’ Jesus replied, ‘This kind can be cast out only by prayer’” (Mark 9:28-29 NLT)
Prayer and Fasting for Protection
In the book of Ezra, we see several instances of fasting and prayer for protection.
“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions… So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.” (Ezra 8:21-23 NASB)
Intercessory Prayer Through Fasting
Not only can we fast for personal protection, but we can also intercede for others (Spiritual Warfare).
““Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants also will fast in the same way. And then I will go in to the king, which is not in accordance with the law; and if I perish, I perish.”” (Esther 4:16 NASB)
What I find interesting in the Bible verses about fasting and prayer in Esther is that God honored the prayers of believers and non-believers alike. It makes you wonder, what are the Biblical rules for fasting.
Related Post: 5 Simple Ways Most People Ruin a Time of Fasting
Fasting and Prayer Over Sin
When sin was revealed, a fast was called for national or practiced personally. It was common practice to fast and pray over sin. Why don’t we?
“Yet it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.” (1 Kings 21:25-27 NASB)
Ahab was the most even king, but when sin was revealed to him, he humbled himself and fasted. God saw that humility and blessed him. We could learn a lot from his example.
“So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.” (1 Samuel 7:6 ESV)
Fasting and Prayer To Return to The Lord
In Joel, a fast is called as the people are returning to the Lord. This clearly falls under Bible verses about fasting and prayer over sin. We need this in the world today.
“Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.” (Joel 1:14 ESV)
“That is why the Lord says, ‘Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning’” (Joel 2:12 NLT)
When You Need God To Relent From Judgement
Still under the topic of Scriptures about fasting and praying over sin we see an example in Jonah. The entire city of Nineveh called for a fast with the hope that God would reverse the coming calamity. They knew they deserved the prophesied judgment, but thought it wise to humble themselves before God. He saw their humility and showed mercy much as He did with Ahab.
“And he issued a proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water.” (Jonah 3:5-9 NASB)
Fasting shows humility. God gives grace to the humble!
David Fasted for Mercy
We see that same theme again when David asks God to turn away judgment for his sin.
“David therefore pleaded with God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground” (2 Samuel 12:15-17 NASB)
If you are caught in the eye of the storm of God’s judgment for sin in your life, a time of fasting can bring healing and breakthroughs.
Answers and Directions Come From Fasting
Overall, we could summarize the reasons for fasting with this one passage.
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NASB)
Fasting is about seeking His will. He answers us when we seek His will humbly.
Who Fasted in the Bible?
When we are trying to understand what God says about fasting, it can help to look at examples of people who fasted in the Bible.
All The People of Israel Fasted and Prayed
This is one of those questions that could be answered generally. Fasting and prayer have been common practices by God’s people for most of history. In Judges, we see that all people fasted but it is not the only time we see that state.
“Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.” (Judges 20:26 ESV)
King Jehoshaphat Fasted and Called All Judah to Fast
Another time all of God’s people fasted was when faced with an impossible battle. The king fasted and called all of Judah to join him in seeking the Lord. They didn’t have a fasting and prayer guide, they just lived in a culture where fasting was commonplace!
“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” (2 Chronicles 20:3 ESV)
Nehemiah Fasted and Prayed
Nehemiah was just a normal person until God called him to lead Israel. He was distressed over the wall in Jerusalem being in disrepair. We see that he fasted and prayed for favor before stepping out to serve the Lord.
“Now when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:1-4 NASB)
David Fasted Frequently
In 2 Samuel 1, we see David fasting in grief at the loss of Saul and Johnathan. This was just before he took the throne to rule Israel. David humbled himself too fast.
“And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.” (2 Samuel 1:12 NASB)
Jesus Fasted and Prayed
Jesus did not begin His public ministry until after a time of fasting (Matthew 4:1-11) (Verse noted earlier).
The Early Church Fasted and Prayed
Bible verses about fasting and prayer are primarily in the Old Testament, but we see the New Testament Church fasting and praying often!
We saw examples earlier of fasting for leaders (Acts 14:23 and Acts 13:2) but know it was a common practice.
What Does the God Say About Fasting?
What else can we learn from these Scriptures about fasting and prayer?
Most Biblical fasting refers to food and Jesus said fasting fed His soul in ways food could not.
“I have food to eat that you do not know about.” (John 4:32 NASB)
Jesus also said fasting can cure Spiritual dryness and promote Spiritual growth and maturity
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6 NASB)
Fasting cultivates a hunger and thirst for righteousness, so although the verse does not specify fasting, we can draw conclusions from it.
What Are The Biblical Rules for Fasting?
The Bible doesn’t give too many specific rules around fasting, but it does tell us what not to do while fasting!
“‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?…
“…And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Isaiah 58:3-11 NASB)
Isaiah 58 tells us not to fast religiously, but to humble yourself and fast correctly.
How Not To Fast
“I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’” (Luke 18:12 NASB)
Bible verses about fasting and prayer clearly tell us to fast humbly. That means:
- Don’t take Pride in your fasting.
- We should not flaunt it as a badge of spiritual superiority.
- No fake piety… trying to look humble or sad so others notice. ( Matthew 6:16-18)
- Fasting should produce Humility – not pride.
David summed this up well!
“But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting,
But my prayer kept returning to me.” (Psalm 35:13-14 NASB)
Fasting Doesn’t Make God A Genie
Fasting will not work when our motives are wrong. In Jeremiah’s account, the people of God had been warned and given grace after grace. They ignored the Lord’s warnings and persecuted His prophets. There came a time when judgment had to come.
When judgment came, they thought fasting (as an act of religion, not a humble relationship) would bring mercy as it did for David and Ahab. It wasn’t genuine and God knew.
“Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.” (Jeremiah 14:12 ESV)
Fasting brings blessings and answers when done correctly, from a humble heart. Fasting does not make God a genie! It accomplishes nothing when done as a religious activity alone.
Fasting and Prayer That Doesn’t Work
We see another example of this in Jeremiah. God’s people fasted and God answered but they didn’t like His answer. They persecuted the prophet so he sent it in writing and they burned it. They burned the answer God sent after they fasted and prayed for an answer! Just think of that!
“In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord.” (Jeremiah 36:9 ESV)
Types of Fasting in The Bible
There are endless types of fasting in the Bible. Endless. God longs for us to humble ourselves before Him. Fasting humbles us. I believe He has very few rules around fasting because humility looks different for us all.
Some examples we see of types of fasting in the Scriptures are:
- A 40-day complete fast
- A complete fast
- Partial fast
- Isolation fast
- Non-food fast
Learn more about the 15 types of fasting here ~> 15 Steps To Fast and Pray For God: A Free Beginners Guide
A 40-Day Complete Fast (No Food or Water)
We already saw that Moses, Elijah, and Jesus are credited for this extreme form of fasting.
“Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.” (Deuteronomy 9:18 ESV)
“For forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.” (Luke 4:2 ESV)
~> Be sure you talk to a doctor before giving up all types of food for this long.
Related Post: Spiritual Breakthrough: How To Choose The Suitable Type of Fasting
A Complete Fast
During this time you do not eat or drink for part of a day to an entire day to several days or weeks.
This was the most common in the Scripture (Esther 4:16; Joel 2:12; Ezra 8:21-23; Jonah 3:5-9).
“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16 ANSB)
Related Post: Add Prayer and Fasting for Marriage Blessing
A Partial Fast (also called a 3-day Spiritual Fast)
A partial fast is just what it seems, fasting from some things but not all.
- Daniel and the three used this fast to honor God while in captivity for 10 days.
“Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.” (Daniel 1:12 NASB)
- Others used this partial fast as a way to consecrate themselves for a day or a few days before feasts or holy days (Joel 1:14).
Isolation Fast
While Jesus does not give us a detailed outline of things to abstain from during a fast He does show us how effective isolation is for fasting.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16 NIV)
The Daniel Fast
When people search for how to fast according to the Bible, they often refer to the type of fasting in Daniel. He ate no meat, no tasty bread, no wine, and used no oils for his skin for 21 days of fasting and prayer.
“So I gave my attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” (Daniel 9:3 NASB)
“I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.” (Daniel 10:3 NASB)
Related Post: How To Prepare For A Spiritual Fast In 11 Breakthrough Steps
Non-Food Fasts
In our culture, where food preparation takes far less time, it makes more sense to fast from non-food things to help create space in our schedule to humbly connect with the Lord.
These are the most common ways to practice a non-food fast with God:
- Abstain from sexual intimacy.
“Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (1 Corinthians 7:5 NASB)
- Do not use oils or lotions.
- Avoid unholy things such as foods, items, people, places, practices, etc.
“And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5 KJV)
- Fasting from entertainment.
“Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.” (Daniel 6:18 NASB)
Related Post: How to Not Fail at a Social Media Fast
Fasting While Mourning and Joy
Something else we see in these Bible verses about fasting and prayer is that it was a common practice in times of mourning and grief.
“And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.” (1 Samuel 31:13 ESV)
This included mourning for the death and for grief overcoming hardship.
“And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.” (Esther 4:3 ESV)
It also included fasting in mourning for generations of judgment.
““Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5 ESV)
Mourning People’s Faithlessness
This passage struck me in a hard way. Ezra mourned how faithless the people of God were. He mourned with fasting over it.
“Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles.” (Ezra 10:6 ESV)
Psalms About Fasting and Mourning
The Psalmist also noted fasting while grieving or weeping.
“When I wept in my soul with fasting, It became my reproach.” (Psalm 69:10 NASB)
“My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.” (Psalm 109:24 ESV)
Bible Verses About Fasting and Prayer: Joy
Then there is this obscure passage in Zechariah about fasting for seasons of joy and gladness. I don’t understand it but felt compelled to include it.
““Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.” (Zechariah 8:19 ESV)
Bible Verses About Fasting And Prayer To Inspire You
Which Bible verse is good for fasting? I couldn’t pick! We’ve looked at 60 Bible verses about fasting and prayer and I hope they have inspired you to give the practice a try!
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
If you enjoyed this you will love these articles:
- 40-Day Fasting and Prayer Guide: Be Still and Know God More
- 90+ Scripture About Provision To Grow Your Faith Today
- 4 Ways to Access the Joy of the Lord in Trials
If you need help to get started with fasting and prayer, check out this short book, “A Beginner’s Guide to Fast and Pray“.
Thank you for this Tiph
So glad it blessed you!