“We usually think we pray and then get to work. But prayer is the work.”
— Pastor Don Bartemus
Many of us don’t have considerable experience with fasting. Or we may have tried the practice as a diet regimen instead of using it for spiritual purposes. So, what exactly is the biblical foundation for fasting? Why should we do it? Does it actually help?
What Does Jesus Say About Fasting?
Jesus does not command us to fast anywhere in the New Testament. But he does assume that we will do it. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs, “When you fast” not “If you fast” (Matt. 6:16).
And, in Matthew 9:15, Jesus tells others that his disciples aren’t fasting because the “the bridegroom is with them.” Jesus is living in their midst, and the arrival of God’s kingdom is cause for rejoicing. But Jesus adds, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matt. 9:16). This is talking about us! We fast because Jesus isn’t physically with us.
John Piper summarizes our experience this way:
“In other words, in this age there is an ache and a longing—a homesickness—inside every Christian that Jesus is not here as fully and intimately and as powerfully and as gloriously as we want him to be. And that is why we fast.”[1]
What Is Fasting and Why Does It Matter?
If Jesus expects us to fast, what exactly is fasting? Simply put, it is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes[2].
Fasting typically involves not eating food and only drinking water.[3]
It’s undeniable that God has moved powerfully through the fasts of his people. In response to fasting:
- Moses received divine access on the mountain (Ex. 34:28-35)
- Elijah received God’s still, small voice (1 Kings 19:8)
- Esther received deliverance for the Jews in Persia (Est. 4:16)
- Jesus received preparation for satanic temptation (Matt. 4)
- Paul received radical conversion (Acts 9:9)
And that’s just a few examples!
Beyond the Bible’s examples, Christians in the early church fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as during various points of the year, such as Lent (the forty days leading up to Easter).[4] And in our day, many Christians throughout the global South and East regularly practice fasting in structured and impromptu ways to experience God’s renewal and provision.
Stories abound about how God has moved in response to the prayers and fasting of his people.[5]
An Invitation to Fast
If Jesus, the saints of Scripture, and so many Christians throughout time and throughout the world have seen God work through fasting—we are left with the question: Why wouldn’t we fast too?
We are desperate for God. So, as we offer our prayers and our bodies to God, may he do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Eph. 3:20)!
More Resources on Fasting
- Video: “What is the purpose of fasting?” by Dr. Donald Whitney
- Article: “The True Benefit of Fasting” by Arv B (TGC India)
- Sermon: “Feasting While Fasting” by Matt Chandler (The Village Church)
- Book: A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer by John Piper
- Class: The Disciplines class (College Park Church)
[1] From his sermon titled “When the Bridegroom Is Taken Away, They Will Fast—With New Wineskins,” delivered on January 3, 1993.
[2] Note: First, we recognize that some people have health-related concerns that prevent them from fasting from food. Fasting should always be accompanied by an awareness of your physical and psychological health, and you should verify with your doctor before completing a fast. Second, while cutting out social media or watching TV are excellent practices, they are technically exercises of “abstinence.” Fasting has to do with food. And last, even though there are numerous health benefits that accompany fasting, true Christian fasting is for spiritual purposes only.
[3] Although there are of course examples in Scripture of partial diet fasts (Dan. 1:12) or fasts with no food or water (Est. 4:16).
[4] Chris Hunt has written a helpful short history of Lent here: https://groundworkonline.com/blog/a-short-version-of-the-long-history-of-lent (accessed March 3, 2025). Although the Reformers were critical of the Roman Catholic enforcement of fasts such as Lent, John Wesley is an example of showing just how important they still believed these voluntary exercises to be: He wouldn’t ordain anyone into the ministry who didn’t fast on Wednesdays and Fridays!
[5] See Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge’s book on revivals, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir (Zondervan, 2015).
