Fasting shows up across both Testaments as a normal part of Christian life, not an extreme one. Jesus assumes his followers will fast — "when ye fast," he says in Matthew 6:16, not "if." What does the Bible say about fasting is therefore a useful question with a clear answer: it's a practice, not a fad, and its purpose is communion with God, not impressing other people.
Scripture pairs fasting most often with prayer (Acts 13:2-3), repentance (Joel 2:12-13), discernment in big decisions (Acts 14:23), and grief (Daniel 10:2-3). Isaiah 58 contains the Bible's sharpest correction of misused fasting: God will not be moved by hunger that doesn't also lead to justice — "to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens." Fasting and justice belong together.
Practical patterns scripture uses: a full fast (no food, sometimes brief); a partial fast like Daniel's (no rich food, no meat); a corporate fast called by leaders; an individual fast for a specific concern. Modern variations — fasting from media, from a specific habit — preserve the principle while adjusting for health.
Two cautions: check with a doctor if you have health concerns or eating-disorder history. And keep it quiet (Matthew 6:18). The page below offers a short prayer for entering a fast. See also prayer, self-control, and repentance.
Verses
Matthew 6:16-18
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Isaiah 58:6-9
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Joel 2:12-13
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Acts 13:2-3
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Daniel 10:2-3
In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
Matthew 4:1-4
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Reflection
What are you most resistant to giving up — and is that a clue about what holds your heart?
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