“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Matthew 9:15, ESV

Jesus says his disciples will fast as we wait for his return. Scripture gives several different reasons why we fast.

Fasting helps us pray more passionately.

The faithful have often fasted

  • when asking God to care for needs (as in 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 or Ezra 8:21-23);
  • when seeking God’s guidance in making an important decision (as in Judges 20:26-27);
  • or when offering genuine, wholehearted worship (as in Luke 2:36-37 or Acts 13:2-3).

Fasting intensifies and deepens prayers of all kinds.

Fasting expresses sorrow and grief.

In particular, prayers that groan our sadness to God can be made much more powerful by fasting (for example, see 1 Samuel 31:11-13, 2 Samuel 1:11-12).

When you need to pray your pain to God as a lament, fasting amplifies these prayers especially (see Esther 4:1-3, or Psalm 69, especially verse 10).

Fasting sharpens our repentance and returning to God.

This may be the most common reason to fast. When we see our sin for what it is, and we honestly confess it to God, and we earnestly seek his forgiveness, then fasting can make sorrow over sin and seeking after God more tangible and experiential (see 1 Samuel 7:6; 1 Kings 21, especially verses 27-29; Jonah 3:6-9; and Nehemiah 1:3-4).

Explore these different reasons for fasting this week.

  • Which do you most relate to?
  • Which are you most curious about?
  • How might you plan to practice fasting and prayer?

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