Whenever we fast, prayer needs to be a part of it.
Yes, fasting helps us develop spiritual maturity; yes, fasting increases our self-discipline and self-control; yes, fasting shows our commitment to God (assuming we are doing it for God, and not because we have an ulterior motive to lose a pound or two). Yes, it has its spiritual benefits. But its point is the hardcore pursuit of God, whom we love more than calories. So we should be talking with him throughout.
And in the scriptures, when we see people fast, that’s what they’re doing: Talking with God. Usually because they have a dire need or have a serious question, and want God to help or answer ’em. And that’s fine; God wants us to bring our questions and needs to him.
First thing is to not bring public attention to your fasting, lest you want God to ignore your requests because you’re really just fasting for the attention.
Matthew 6.16-18 NLT 16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Forget the burlap and ashes; yes I know people in the Old Testament did it, but they didn’t know any better. Cancel any lunch or dinner dates—don’t do that thing where you go to them anyway, but conspicuously don’t eat; that’s hypocrisy too. Go through your day as usual, but instead of eating, pray. Seek God’s aid and answers.
Old Testament examples.
The New Testament has a few examples of fasting and prayer as well, but today I’m gonna focus on the Old Testament examples. When they were petitioning God and included fasting, things tended to be a lot more dire.
JONAH BEN AMITTAI. Jonah’s story is fairly well-known by most Christians, ’cause we’ve largely made it a Sunday-school story. He was sent to Assyria to tell them their capital city Nineveh would be destroyed. He didn’t want to; he tried to flee to Spain—as if the L
And the Assyrians repented.
Jonah 3.5-10 NLT 5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.6 When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes.7 Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:- “No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all.
8 People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence.9 Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.” 10 When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Thus turning Jonah into a false prophet. Which enraged Jonah, who just knew the L
JOEL BEN PETHUEL. The prophet Joel declared “the L
For that righteous segment of the population, Joel had a message from God for them:
Joel 2.12-18 NLT 12 That is why the LORD says,- “Turn to me now, while there is time.
- Give me your hearts.
- Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,- but tear your hearts instead.”
- Return to the L
ORD your God, - for he is merciful and compassionate,
- slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
- He is eager to relent and not punish.
14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve,- sending you a blessing instead of this curse.
- Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine
- to the L
ORD your God as before. 15 Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem!- Announce a time of fasting;
- call the people together
- for a solemn meeting.
16 Gather all the people—- the elders, the children, and even the babies.
- Call the bridegroom from his quarters
- and the bride from her private room.
17 Let the priests, who minister in the LORD ’s presence,- stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar.
- Let them pray, “Spare your people, L
ORD ! - Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery.
- Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say,
- ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’ ”
18 Then the LORD will pity his people- and jealously guard the honor of his land.
Call others to fast along with you; get ’em to drop what they’re doing (or in the case of the newlyweds in verse 16, whom they’re doing) and repent as a nation. If they do that, God’ll save them.
Spoiler: They didn’t do that. The few who did listen to Joel and fasted, weren’t enough to stop Jerusalem’s destruction.
DANIEL. Daniel was one of the Judean nobles who lived through that destruction, got deported to Babylon, and even though he did relatively well in that culture—maintaining his government position even after Kūruš of Persia conquered the neo-Babylonian Empire, and Darayava’uš (
Daniel 9.1-3 NLT 1 It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians.2 During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the LORD , as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.
He gave a big ol’ repentant prayer,
ESTHER BAT ABIHAIL. Esther was the queen consort of Darayava’uš’s son Xšayārša (
Esther 4.1-15 NLT 1 When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail.2 He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning.3 And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.4 When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it.5 Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning.6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate.7 Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.8 Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people.9 So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.10 Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai:11 “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.”12 So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed.14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
You’ll notice the fasting, but no reference made to prayer. That’s because the Hebrew text of the book of Esther deliberately left God and religion out of the story. But it’s awfully hard to hide the fact you don’t just fast for no reason. Nor Mordecai’s comment about just who made his cousin the queen.
In any event, Xšayārša didn’t kill Esther when she showed up uninvited, and she had to throw him two banquets before she got up enough nerve to tell him she was one of the people who’d be slaughtered on 13 Adar. In his wrath, Xšayārša had Haman crucified, then passed a law permitting the Jews to defend themselves and spoil their enemies, and that pretty much undid Haman’s edict. And now Jews celebrate 13 Adar every year as Purim.
EZRA BAR SERAIAH. Ezra the scribe was a
Ezra 8.21-23 NLT 21 And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled.22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.”23 So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.
Our culture has been so spoiled by our highway patrols and state troopers; raiders and “highwaymen” were a constant problem in the past. But God kept Ezra and his party safe.
NEHEMIAH BAR HACALIAH. Decades later, Artaxšaçā’s cupbearer Nehemiah heard things weren’t going well in Jerusalem; they still hadn’t built the city wall. So Nehemiah turned to God.
Nehemiah 1.4 NLT - When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
He recorded
Takeaways.
Notice in all these stories, how it isn’t just the fasting—or the burlap—which moves God to act. It’s the fact these folks were sincere and earnest about what they requested. They didn’t take for granted the fact they were God’s chosen people. (And yes, that includes the Assyrians; every culture thinks they’re God’s chosen people, even if they’re not.) They didn’t presume anything except that God was more apt to hear them when they actively demonstrated they prioritized him over food.
These stories don’t prove God will or must say yes to our requests when we fast and pray. Sometimes we ask for the wrong things. Sometimes we’re fasting when we ask for the wrong things. God’s never under any obligation to grant us absolutely anything we request. He’ll answer;
And isn’t that what we want after a good fast?—a good answer from God. Always pray for that.
