Prayer & Fasting

Purposes for Fasting

I have taken the liberty of quoting and condensing the following from Donald S. Whitney’s book “Spiritual Discipline for the Christian Life.”

“There are many purposes for fasting given in Scripture. I’ve condensed them into ten major categories. Whenever you fast you should do so for at least one of these purposes. (Notice that none of the purposes is to earn God’s favor. We cannot use fasting as a way to impress God and earn His acceptance. We are made acceptable to God through the work of Christ Jesus, not our work. Fasting has no eternal benefit for us until we have come to God through repentance and faith. See Ephesians 2:1-10 and Titus 3:5-7).”

1. To Strengthen Prayer

“There’s something about fasting that sharpens the edge of our intercessions and gives passion to our supplications. So it has frequently been used by the people of God when there is a special urgency about the concerns they lift before the Father. See Ezra 8:21-23. God is always pleased to hear the prayers of His people. But He is also pleased when we choose to strengthen our prayers in a way He has ordained. See Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, Joel 2:12 and Acts 13:3. The most important aspect of this discipline is its influence on prayer. You’ll notice that in one way or another, all the other Biblical purposes of fasting relate to prayer. Fasting is one of the best friends we can introduce to our prayer life.”

2. To Seek God’s Guidance

“There is a Biblical precedent for fasting for the purpose of more clearly discerning the will of God. According to Acts 14:23, before Paul and Barnabas would appoint elders in the churches they founded, they first prayed with fasting to receive God’s guidance. Fasting does not ensure the certainty of receiving clear guidance from God. Rightly practiced, however, it does make us more receptive to the One who loves to guide us.”

3. To Express Grief

“Grief caused by death (1 Samuel 31:13, 2 Samuel 1:11-12) and by other events can be expressed through fasting. “Christians have fasted because of grief for their sins. We are not required to pay for our sins, because we cannot and because Christ has done that once for all (1Peter 3:18). God has promised that “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). But that does not mean that confession is a light and easy thing, a simple mouthing of words, a verbal ritual. Mere admission is not confession. Christ is dishonoured by a frivolous view of confession that does not appreciate how much our sin cost Him. Although it is not a spiritual self-flagellation, biblical confession does involve some degree of grief for the sin committed. And inasmuch as fasting can be an expression of grief, it is never inappropriate for fasting to be a voluntary, heartfelt part of confession. There have been a few occasions when I grieved so deeply over my sin that words alone seemed powerless to say to God what I wanted. And though it made me no more worthy of forgiveness, fasting communicated the grief and confession my words could not. Fasting can also be a means of expressing grief for sins of others, such as for the sins of people within your church or sins by your country (1 Samuel 20:34).

Caffy and I have a friend who has been a Christian just a few years. When she veered away from her profession of faith, we expressed our grief and prayed for her through a mutual fast of several days. Although we confronted her about her situation several times, she said, after being restored, that knowing we fasted for her was one of the main turning points in returning to fellowship. Since fasting is often a means of expressing to God the depth of our feelings, it is as appropriate for grief stricken prayers to be accompanied by fasting as by tears.”

4. To Seek Deliverance or Protection

“One of the most common fasts in biblical times was a fast to seek salvation from enemies or circumstances (Ezra 8:21-23, Esther 4:16, Psalm 109 especially verse 24). When our church has a day of fasting in grief for the sins of our country, we also include prayers asking the Lord to protect and deliver us from enemies that might result from our sins. Perhaps we don’t think as often of the reality of national sin as we should, and how Christians will experience part of any national judgment that comes, even though we did not contribute directly to the national sin. Fasting, rather than fleshly efforts, should be one our first defenses against “persecution” from family, schoolmates, neighbours, or coworkers because of our faith. Typically we’re tempted to strike back with anger, verbal abuse, counteraccusations, or even legal action. But instead of political maneuvering, gossiping, and imitating the worldly tactics of our enemies, we should appeal to God with fasting for protection and deliverance.”

5. To Express Repentance and the Return to God

“Fasting for this purpose is similar to fasting for the purpose of expressing grief for sin. But as repentance is a change of mind resulting in a change of action, fasting can represent more than just grief over sin. It also can signal a commitment to obedience and a new direction (1 Samuel 7:6, Joel 2:12, Jonah 3:5-8). Not only can fasting express repentance, but it can also be in vain without repentance. As with all Spiritual Disciplines, fasting can be little more than a “dead work” if we have persistently hardened our heart to God’s call to deal with a specific sin in our lives. We must never try to immerse ourselves in a Spiritual Discipline as an attempt to drown out God’s voice about forsaking a sin. It is a perversion of fasting to try to use it to balance self-punishment for a sinful part of life we want to continue feeding.”

6. To Humble Oneself Before God

“Fasting, when practiced with the right motives, is a physical expression of humility before God, just as kneeling or prostrating yourself in prayer can reflect humility before Him. And so there are times when you may want to express a sense of humility before the Lord in every activity throughout the day by fasting. One of the most wicked men in Jewish history, King Ahab, eventually humbled himself before God and demonstrated it by fasting (1Kings 21:27-29). On the other hand, one of Israel’s godliest men, King David, humbled himself before the Lord in exactly the same way (Psalm 35:13).

Remember that fasting itself is not humility before God, but should be an expression of humility. There was no humility in the Pharisee of Luke 18:12, who bragged to God in prayer that he fasted “twice a week.””

7. To Express Concern for the Work of God

“Just as a parent might fast and pray out of concern for the work of God in the life of a child, so Christians may fast and pray because they feel a burden for the work of God in a broader scope. A Christian may feel compelled to fast and pray for the work of God in a place that he has experienced tragedy, disappointment, or apparent defeat. This was the purpose for Nehemiah’s fast when he heard that despite the return of many Jewish exiles to Jerusalem, the city still had no walls to defend it (Nehemiah 1:3-4). See also a similar example in Daniel 9:3.

David Brainerd’s concerns for the work of God frequently found expression in fasting and prayer. In his journal entry for June 14, 1742, he writes, “I set apart this day for secret fasting and prayer, to entreat God to direct and bless me with regard to the great work I have in view, of preaching the gospel…. God enabled me to wrestle ardently in intercession for absent friends, for the ingathering of souls and for multitudes of poor souls…. The Lord visited me marvelously in prayer.”

Obviously we can‘t fast continually, but may the Lord at least occasionally give us a concern for His work so great that our normal concern for food will seem secondary in comparison.”

8. To Minister to the Needs of Others

“Those who think the Spiritual Disciplines foster tendencies of introspection or independence should consider Isaiah 58:6-7. In the most extensive passage in Scripture dealing exclusively with fasting, God emphasizes fasting for the purpose of meeting the needs of others. The people originally addressed in this section had complained to the Lord that they had fasted and humbled themselves before Him, but He had not answered them. But the reason why he had not heard them was their disobedience. Their lives were in hypocritical contrast to their fasting and praying. “Yet on the day of your fasting,” says the Lord in verses 3-4, “you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.”

Fasting cannot be compartmentalized from the rest of your lives. The Spiritual Disciplines do not stand alone. God will not bless the practice of any Discipline, including fasting, when we reject His Word regarding relationships with others. What should we do? How does God want us to fast? “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen,” the Lord asks in verses 6-7,“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 him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” In other words the kind of fasting that pleases God in one that results in concern for others and not just ourselves.

“But,” someone objects, “I’m so busy meeting my needs and those of my family that I don’t have the time to minister to other people.” That’s where you can fast for the purpose of ministering to the needs of others. Fast for one meal or for one day and use that time for ministry. That way you haven’t lost any of the time you say you must give to your other commitments. Several months ago I started scheduling a regular fast each week and devoting one of the mealtimes during the day to meet for counseling or discipleship with others. The result is that this fasting time has become my single most productive, need-meeting, one-on-one ministry slot all week. There are other ways of fasting to meet the needs of others. Many fast so that they can give to the poor or to some ministry the money they would have spent on food during that period. How could you minister to the needs of others with the extra time or money fasting could provide?”

9. To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate Yourself to God

In Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. “In the spiritual strength of that prolonged fast He was prepared to overcome a direct onslaught of temptation from Satan himself, the strongest he would face until Gethsemane. It was also during that fast that He privately dedicated himself to the Father for the public ministry He would begin soon thereafter. One principle we learn from Jesus‟ example is this: Fasting is a way of overcoming temptation and of freshly dedicating ourselves to the Father. There are times we struggle with temptation, or we anticipate grappling with it, when we need extra spiritual strength to overcome it. Perhaps we or our spouse is traveling and temptation for mental and sensual unfaithfulness abound. At the start of school, or a new job or ministry there may be new temptations, or it may seem appropriate to dedicate ourselves anew to the Lord. Often we face decisions that place new temptations before us. Do we take a new job that will mean much more money but much less time with the family? Do we accept the promotion that includes a transfer that would end a significant ministry in our local church or when it means going where your family’s spiritual growth may suffer? In times of exceptional temptation, exceptional measures are required. Fasting for the purpose of overcoming the temptation and of renewing our dedication to God is a Christ like response.”

10. To Express Love and Worship to God

“The Bible also says that fasting may be an act of sheer devotion to God. In Luke 2 there is an unforgettable woman whose entire eighty-four years are flashed before us in just three quick verses. Her name is Anna. The summary of her life is found in Luke 2:37: “She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.” This godly woman devoted at least half a century, night and day, to a worship of God characterized by “fasting and praying.” Fasting can be an expression of finding your greatest pleasure and enjoyment in life from God. That’s the case when discipling yourself to fast means that you love God more than food, that seeking Him is more important to you than eating. This honours God and is a means of worshipping Him as God. It means that your stomach isn’t your god as it is with some (see Philippians 3:19). Instead it is God’s servant, and fasting proves it because you are willing to sublimate its desires to those of the Spirit. Christians throughout history have fasted for this purpose in preparation for the Lord‟s Supper. In addition to the elements of repentance and humility before God in this kind of fast, it is also intended to help the person focus on adoring the One who is represented in the Supper.

Another way of fasting to express love and worship to God is to spend your meal times in praise and adoration of God. A variation is to delay eating a particular meal until you have had your daily time of Bible intake and prayer. Just remember that your fast is a privilege, not an obligation. It is the acceptance of a divine invitation to experience His grace in a special way. If you can’t fast with the faith that you find more satisfaction and joy at that time than in delaying a meal, then freely eat in faith first (Romans 14:22-23). But may we yearn for days when God will cause us to crave the spiritual banquet of worship more than any smorgasbord.”

Final Warnings, Exhortations and a Question

“Fasting must always have a spiritual purpose – a God-centered purpose, not a self-centered one – for the Lord to bless our fast. Thoughts of food must prompt thoughts of God. They must not distract us, but instead remind us of our purpose. There is no doubt that God has often crowned fasting with extraordinary blessings. Biblical, historical and contemporary testimonies bear witness to God‟s delight in providing unusual blessings to those who fast. But we should be careful not to have or develop a mechanical view of fasting. We cannot manipulate God to do our bidding by fasting any more than we can by any other means. As with prayer, we fast in hope that by His grace God will bless us as we desire. When our fast is rightly motivated, we can be sure that God will bless us, but perhaps not in the way we wanted.

In his book “Fasting: A Neglected Discipline,” David Smith says this, “Any blessing which is bestowed by the Father upon His undeserving children must be considered to be an act of grace. We fail to appreciate the mercy of the Lord if we think that by our doing something we have forced or even coerced God to grant that blessing which we have asked for…. All of our fasting, therefore, must be on this basis; we should use it as a scriptural means whereby we are melted into a more complete realization of the purposes of the Lord in our life, church, community and nation.” “

In Matthew 6:17-18 Jesus provides these words of direction and promise. “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men 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.” So be assured that God will bless a biblical fast (as you have read outlined above) by any of His children. I leave the final word of exhortation to Donald S. Whitney:

“Will you fast as the Holy Spirit directs? Are you willing to obey God when He prompts you to fast? Because Jesus expected that His followers would fast, I believe that from time to time His Spirit will direct you to fast. Will you determine in advance that you will be obedient to His voice? One of the ways the Holy Spirit prompts us to fast is through a need in our lives. If you need stronger prayer about a matter, that’s an invitation from the Lord to fast. If you need God’s guidance about an issue in your life, that’s an encouragement to fast. If you need deliverance or protection, that’s a time to fast. Will you do it? Or will you miss the unique opportunities for grace that He would extend to you through fasting? Like all Spiritual Disciplines, fasting hoists the sails of the soul in hopes of experiencing the gracious winds of God’s Spirit. But fasting also adds a unique dimension to your spiritual life and helps you grow in Christ likeness in ways that are unavailable through any other means. If this were not so, there would have been no need for Jesus to model and teach fasting.”