Fasting is a deeply rooted spiritual discipline that has been practiced by believers throughout biblical history. It involves abstaining from food or other physical needs to focus on prayer, repentance, and seeking God‘s will. The Bible offers profound insight into the purpose of fasting, its benefits, and how it should be approached. This article highlights 25 Bible verses about fasting, illustrating its significance in drawing closer to God and gaining spiritual strength.
25 Bible Verses About Fasting
1. Matthew 6:16-18
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
In these verses, Jesus teaches the importance of fasting with humility and secrecy. The focus should be on honoring God, not seeking human recognition.
2. Isaiah 58:6-7
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
God emphasizes that true fasting is not just about abstaining from food, but also about caring for the marginalized, seeking justice, and serving others. Fasting should align with God’s heart for justice and compassion.
3. Joel 2:12-13
“Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
Joel calls for a fast of repentance, where the focus is on turning back to God with sincerity and genuine remorse. Fasting becomes a tool for spiritual renewal and reconciliation with God.
4. Matthew 4:2
“After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”
This verse refers to Jesus’ fast in the wilderness. It highlights the endurance and preparation for ministry that fasting provided for Jesus, setting an example of fasting in solitude and prayer.
5. Luke 5:33-35
“They said to him, ‘John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus answered, ‘Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.'”
Here, Jesus acknowledges that fasting is an important spiritual discipline, but He also points to the importance of the right timing. Fasting is a sign of longing for God’s presence, and while He was physically present, fasting was not yet necessary for His disciples.
6. 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.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
In this passage, fasting accompanies prayer and worship. The early church sought God’s guidance and direction through fasting, demonstrating that it is a tool for discerning God’s will.
7. Esther 4:16
“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Queen Esther called for a corporate fast in a time of crisis, demonstrating the power of fasting in seeking God’s intervention in desperate situations.
8. 2 Chronicles 20:3
“Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.”
King Jehoshaphat’s proclamation of a fast for Judah was a response to the threat of invasion. Fasting was used as a means to seek God’s guidance and protection in the face of overwhelming challenges.
9. Nehemiah 1:4
“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”
Nehemiah’s fasting was a response to the news of Jerusalem’s devastation. His fasting was an expression of mourning, repentance, and a plea for God’s help in rebuilding the city.
10. Matthew 6:16
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
Jesus teaches that fasting should be done in secret and without outward display. The focus should always be on God rather than seeking approval from others.
11. Daniel 9:3
“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”
Daniel used fasting as a means of seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness for his people. Fasting, prayer, and repentance were key elements of his spiritual practice.
12. Isaiah 58:5
“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?”
God critiques superficial fasting and challenges the people of Israel to go beyond external rituals and seek genuine humility and transformation.
13. Luke 4:2
“Where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.”
In this passage, Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness symbolizes His preparation for ministry and His reliance on God in times of trial. Fasting deepens dependence on God and strengthens spiritual resolve.
14. Zechariah 7:5
“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?’”
Zechariah challenges the people to examine their hearts when they fast. God desires fasting to be done with sincerity, not as an empty ritual.
15. Acts 14:23
“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”
Fasting accompanied prayer as Paul and Barnabas established leadership in the early church. It was a key part of their decision-making process and seeking God’s guidance for the church’s future.
16. 1 Samuel 7:6
“When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord.’ And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.”
The Israelites fasted as an act of repentance, confessing their sins and seeking God’s forgiveness and deliverance.
17. Mark 9:29
“He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.'”
Jesus reveals the power of fasting in spiritual warfare. Some challenges in life require not only prayer but also fasting for breakthrough and victory.
18. Matthew 17:21
“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
In this passage, Jesus teaches His disciples the necessity of fasting for overcoming powerful spiritual obstacles. Fasting enhances spiritual authority and effectiveness in ministry.
19. 2 Samuel 12:16
“David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.”
David fasted in the hope that God would spare his child, showing that fasting is often a sign of urgent plea and deep intercession.
20. Jonah 3:5-10
“The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in the dust.”
The people of Nineveh fasted as a response to God’s call to repentance. Their collective fasting led to God’s mercy and the sparing of their city.
21. Luke 18:12
“I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
In this parable, the Pharisee boasts of his religious practices, including fasting. Jesus uses this verse to teach the importance of humility over self-righteousness.
22. Exodus 34:28
“Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.”
Moses’ fast was a time of intimate communion with God. It was during this time that he received the Ten Commandments, demonstrating that fasting can be a time of revelation and receiving divine instruction.
23. Matthew 9:14-15
“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, ‘How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.'”
Jesus speaks of a time when His disciples will fast in His absence, highlighting fasting as a means of spiritual longing and preparation for His return.
24. Mark 2:18-20
“Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, ‘How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?’ Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.'”
Jesus uses the metaphor of a wedding feast to explain that fasting is not required while He is physically present, but it will be important after His departure.
25. 1 Corinthians 7:5
“Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
Paul acknowledges fasting as a tool for prayer and spiritual devotion. Fasting can be used in different contexts, including marital relationships, to focus on God and prayer.
Conclusion
Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline that helps believers deepen their relationship with God, seek His guidance, and grow in humility. Whether used for repentance, seeking direction, or experiencing God’s presence, fasting is a key element in the life of faith. The Bible provides numerous examples and teachings on fasting, showing that it should always be done with a sincere heart, aligned with God’s purposes.
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