fbpx Skip to Content

9 Bible Verses on Fasting

9 Bible Verses on Fasting – Scripture to show us the value of fasting, praying, seeking, and longing for closeness with God through biblical examples.

Fasting In The Bible – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Every Lent, I dive a little bit deeper into the idea of fasting.

  • Is fasting still relevant today?
  • How does fasting bring me closer to God?
  • What should I be fasting for anyway?

Let’s be honest. When you look at the world for advice on how to fast, you’re not going to get very far. The goal of a Christian fasting according to the Bible is not to lose weight, capture the secret of anti-aging, or fit into your skinny jeans.

What Is Biblical Fasting?

BibleStudyTools defines fasting in the Bible as, “essentially giving up food (or something else) for a period of time in order to focus your thoughts on God. While fasting, many people read the Bible, pray, or worship.”

Did you catch that important pairing?

The goal is to fast for a limited time while focusing your thoughts on God, the God of heaven.

Fasting In Scripture – Fasting For A Breakthrough

Whether you are choosing to fast for Lent or as a regular spiritual practice or spiritual discipline in your life, it is so encouraging to look back over the people who fasted in the Bible.

Seeing the reasons they fasted and how God responded to them renews your excitement for this practice of fasting and inspires you to deepen your relationship with God in this way, looking beyond the desires of your own flesh.

There are examples of fasting in both the New Testament and the Old Testament to show us the value of this spiritual discipline, overcoming our natural human lack of self-control.

In the Bible, fasting is when people have given up food or drink and spent that time praying, mourning, and seeking God’s will.

There is so much power in fasting, getting out of our own way, and connecting with the Lord God in this unique, self-sacrificial way.

Below, you’ll find Bible verses on fasting and be able to see the different purposes behind their fasts to inspire, motivate, and give you more purpose in your own fasting.

Use these Bible verses to read when fasting, learn how to fast according to the Bible, and inspire you as you fast and pray yourself.

Bible Verses On Fasting

Folding hands praying on a Bible with the text 9 Bible Verses on Fasting

1. Exodus 34:28 – Moses Fasted To Seek God’s Direction

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.

-Exodus 34:28

Moses fasted with the Lord for forty days, leaning on God for direction, wisdom, and guidance in writing the Ten Commandments.

This is known as one of the “supernatural absolute” fasts in the Bible where Moses went 40 days without eating or drinking.

It’s labeled “supernatural” or sometimes “miraculous” since that is quite dangerous normally and he was sustained miraculously only by God during that time.

God not only sustained Moses during his fast, but also gave him wisdom and direction.

2. Ezra 8:21-23 – Fasting For Humility

…I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions….So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

-Ezra 8:21-23

Here, fasting was a means to humility.

It was a way to humble themselves before the Lord as they sought Him in prayer for protection.

They fasted humbly, prayed fiercely, and God answered.

3. Isaiah 58:6 – Fasting for Freedom

“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?

– Isaiah 58:6

The purpose of fasting is so much deeper than simply giving up food for a while.

It’s not just an outward practice, but an inner transformation.

It’s about addressing the deep, ugly sins of your life, untying the cords of that yoke, and breaking free.

4. Joel 2:12 – Fast To Return To God With Repentance

“Even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Joel 2:12

Return to me.

What a powerful phrase coming from our Almighty God.

This was a call to repentance, for the people to return to God’s mercy and steadfast love.

And one of the ways to show their truly repentant heart was through fasting.

Even here in the Old Testament, God was not asking for the act of fasting alone. Fasting was a way to show that they desired to return to God with all of their heart.

5. Matthew 6:16-18 – “When You Fast…” Verse

“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, put oil on your head and wash your face, 1so 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.”

-Matthew 6:16-18

As Christians, our intentions matter. Our faith takes life to a level unseen. It is possible to do everything right on the outside, but without the proper heart, it doesn’t serve its purpose.

Fasting is one of those things.

If you are fasting to be seen by others as a “good Christian,” you’re doing it wrong.

If you’re fasting with a heart that can only focus on the things you lack (food, in this case) and not a hunger that drives you into the arms of your Savior to satisfy your needs, you’re doing it wrong.

Don’t fast for attention, recognition, or the sake of not-so-silent suffering through the 40 days of Lent.

Fast to draw nearer to God and rely on Him on deeper levels than you have before.

6. Matthew 4:2 – Fasting To Grow in Spiritual Strength

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he [Jesus] was hungry.

Matthew 4:2

Jesus fasted for forty days.

Forty days.

It’s hard for me to fathom what His body would have felt like during that time.

I’m imagining His human form felt quite weak.

Yet, He stood strong against the relentless temptation Satan kept shoving in His face.

He wasn’t relying on a protein-filled breakfast or a good night of sleep for his mental sharpness to stand up to the devil.

He relied completely on God’s strength (and God’s Word) during His fast.

Fasting can strengthen us spiritually when we choose to stand on God’s Word in our own human frailty.

7. Matthew 9:14-17 – Jesus On Fasting And New Wine Into New Wineskins

Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, 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.
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Matthew 9:14-17

The entire purpose of the disciples’ and the Pharisees’ fasting was to show a longing for the day God would show up and show favor to Israel again.

But Jesus was right there with them! There was no need for fasting at that moment.

But immediately afterward, Jesus said, “the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

He wasn’t putting an end to all fasting.

He specifically said the time to fast would be coming again!

But now, our fasting isn’t filled with mourning as it was for the Pharisees. Instead, it’s filled with longing because we know Jesus came and will come again!

Don’t pour new wine into old wineskins, but fresh ones instead.

8. Acts 13:3 – Fast To Seek The Holy Spirit’s Guidance

So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 13:3

It would seem that the church here fasted for guidance from the Holy Spirit. They didn’t know what to do next, but they ached for God’s direction.

And this particular instance of fasting happened after Christ’s coming.

This fasting was not about legalism.

This was a deep hunger in these people searching for guidance of the church’s next steps.

9. Luke 2:37 – Praying and Fasting

..and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

-Luke 2:37

So many of the Bible verses that talk about fasting also mention prayer. The two seem to go hand-in-hand.

Jesus prayed and fasted. So did the disciples, followers of John the Baptist, and so many others.

This spiritual discipline of fasting and praying was important in the Old Testament, impactful in the New Testament, and is still a powerful way to approach God on a deeper level.

More Bible Verses To Grow Your Faith

30 Bible Verses On Forgiveness

32 Bible Verses On Wisdom

25 Bible Verses On Humility

27 Bible Verses On Identity

30 Bible Verses On Accountability

Martha

Monday 4th of March 2024

Thank you so much πŸ™ my life will never remain the same.indeed the word of God is so powerful.Stay blessed forever.

Mercy

Tuesday 6th of February 2024

God bless you for this guidelines it really helped me.thank you

Eyong Esim Patricia

Saturday 13th of January 2024

I was blessed through the guide lines , please guide me through

mandlaenkosi

Monday 8th of January 2024

thank you for the information about fasting, i feel like i still need more for my spiritual growth

isingoma Godfrey

Monday 29th of January 2024

thanks so much how can i recieve or activate my spiritual gifts still need more lessons about fasting

Debra Allen

Thursday 4th of January 2024

I understand you are not supposed to let it be known to others that you are fasting so how do you handle gatherings that you can’t avoid where there will be food? How do you explain why you are not eating without revealing that you are fasting ?

Moshood Modepoola

Sunday 11th of February 2024

@Debra Allen, It is always good to stay in the presence of the lord during the period of your fasting, it could be 3,7,21 or 40 days of fasting so that no one can question you while you are not eating, your faith matter too while starting a fast,"will I get reward from this time i am planning to spend with God" if you have that faith that you will definitely receive from God then you are good to go because the scripture made us understand that no one comes to the lord without not receiving, so whenever you are fasting stop going around or visiting place except the places of the lord maybe fellowship, bible classes ect.Give God all that time of your fasting and see what the lord will do in your life. Thank you ma

Tolu

Friday 12th of January 2024

@Debra Allen, yes just as Bekky said. Recently I asked myself same question as I was fasting in a day I had to work. It’s normal to have coffee together, I was not going to be able to do that. Of course the other people had to know why. It is the heart and the motivation that matters. Why are you sharing this with others? In addition it could be an opportunity for a good conversation for non-Christians.

Becky

Friday 5th of January 2024

@Debra Allen, please remember the audience Jesus was speaking to in Matthew 6. He was specifically speaking to people who were using their worship of God (in fasting here) as a way to win the praise of people. He was using His words as a way to get to the heart of the issue, not necessarily as a universal rule that you are never to let on to anyone that you are fasting. He was just using that verse as a way to redirect their hearts to what really mattered - fasting as a way to connect to God, not get attention from others. It's about the heart, not about the rule. πŸ’œ