Guides · A biblical guide for beginners

How to Fast and Pray

When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, 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 (BSB)

Many Christians were never taught how to fast, and some have only heard it sold as a technique for getting results. The Bible’s picture is simpler: set food aside for a while because you want God more than your next meal, and turn the hunger into prayer.

What is biblical fasting?

In the Bible, fasting means going without food, and occasionally drink, for a time in order to seek God. It is almost always joined to prayer. Nehemiah mourned over Jerusalem, “fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Daniel turned to the Lord “to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Fasting without prayer is just skipping meals; the hunger matters only because it keeps reminding you why you are doing it.

Why do Christians fast?

Jesus assumed His followers would fast. He says “when you fast” in the same breath as “when you pray” and “when you give,” and He said that once He was taken from His disciples, “then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15). The Bible gives these reasons:

• To humble ourselves before God. Before a dangerous journey, Ezra proclaimed a fast “so that we might humble ourselves before our God” (Ezra 8:21-23).
• To return to God. Through Joel the LORD says, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning” (Joel 2:12-13).
• To seek God’s direction. The church in Antioch fasted and prayed before sending out Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2-3).
• To ask for help in a crisis, as Esther did before going to the king (Esther 4:16).
• To grieve and plead, as David did for his sick child (2 Samuel 12:16).
• To remember that God is our life. Hungry after fasting in the wilderness, Jesus answered the tempter: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

What fasting is not

Fasting earns nothing from God, and it is not a lever for forcing His hand. Jesus told of a Pharisee who boasted, “I fast twice a week,” and a tax collector who only prayed for mercy; it was the tax collector who went home justified (Luke 18:9-14). Through Isaiah, God rebuked people who fasted while they oppressed their workers, and told them the fast He wants:

Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

— Isaiah 58:6-7 (BSB)

So be wary of teaching that promises a healing, a job or a ‘breakthrough’ if you fast long or hard enough; the Bible never says that. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not by effort, which frees us to fast for the right reason: to humble ourselves, seek God, and leave the answers to Him.

Types of fasts in the Bible

Choose a fast that fits your health and circumstances. The type matters much less than the heart.

How to start fasting: step by step

1. 1

   Decide why you are fasting

   Write it in one sentence: to seek God about a decision, to repent, to pray for a person, or simply to draw near to Him. When hunger hits mid-afternoon, this is what you come back to.

2. 2

   Start small

   If you have never fasted, skip one meal and pray in that time. Next time try a full day, from one evening meal to the next. Build up over weeks, not days.

3. 3

   Choose the day and tell the right people

   Pick a day without heavy physical work. No need to announce it, but tell your spouse or whoever cooks for you.

4. 4

   Plan your prayer and reading

   Choose a psalm or a Gospel passage, and write a short list of what you will pray for; see how to make a prayer list.

   My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek.

   — Psalm 27:8 (BSB)

5. 5

   Drink water and pace yourself

   Hunger, a headache or tiredness on day one are common. Keep taking prescribed medication unless your doctor says otherwise, and stop if you feel faint or unwell.

6. 6

   Break the fast gently and give thanks

   End with a small, simple meal and thank God for His nearness.

What to do while you fast

The time you would spend cooking and eating is the time you give to God:

• Pray at mealtimes. When you would normally eat, stop and pray about the purpose you wrote down. Hunger becomes a reminder several times a day.
• Read slowly. A psalm read twice and prayed back to God beats skimming chapters. Psalms 27, 51, 63 and 103 suit a fast well.
• Confess honestly. Fasting brings things to the surface. Bring them to God, who is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).
• Listen. Leave some silence after you pray, and write down what you notice in a prayer journal.
• Give. Isaiah 58 ties fasting to generosity; some give what they would have spent on food to someone in need.
• Keep it quiet. Jesus said to “anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men.”

How long should a Christian fast?

The Bible doesn’t set a length. It records fasts of a day (1 Samuel 7:6), three days (Esther 4:16), three weeks of partial fasting (Daniel 10:2-3) and forty days (Moses and Jesus). The forty-day fasts were unique moments in God’s story, not a pattern to copy. For most Christians, a regular one-meal or one-day fast, with an occasional longer partial fast such as 21 days of prayer and fasting, is plenty.

How to break a fast

After a meal or a day, simply eat a normal, modest meal. After several days without food, start with small portions of easy foods such as soup, fruit and cooked vegetables, and build up over a day or two; returning to food too fast after a long fast can be medically dangerous. Give thanks as you eat. The fast ends; the seeking doesn’t have to.

Is fasting safe? Who should talk to a doctor first

For most healthy adults a short fast of a meal or a day is safe. But fasting from food isn’t for everyone, and the Bible never asks you to harm the body God gave you. Talk to your doctor before a food fast if:

• You have diabetes or low blood sugar, heart or kidney disease, or any other medical condition.
• You take medication, especially for blood sugar or blood pressure, or medicine that must be taken with food.
• You have, or have had, an eating disorder; a fast from media or another habit may be the wiser way to take part.
• You are pregnant or nursing.
• You are older or frail, underweight, or recovering from illness or surgery.

Children should not do extended food fasts; they can give up a treat or screen time and pray instead. Teenagers should talk with a parent before any food fast. Whoever you are, stop and eat if you feel faint, confused or very unwell, and get medical help if it doesn’t pass. Choosing to eat is not failing God.

A prayer to begin your fast

Keep going

• 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, with a daily guide and tracker
• Prayer points for fasting
• How to pray
• How to make a prayer list
• A prayer from Psalm 63

Questions