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
When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Isaiah 58:6-9
Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,
Joel 2:12-13
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
Acts 13:2-3
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.” And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Daniel 10:2-3
In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed.
Matthew 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from 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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