Tosin’s first visa application had been refused in January. She had a place on a master’s programme in the United Kingdom, she had saved for three years, and the refusal letter gave a reason she did not fully understand. She reapplied in March. The decision was due within three weeks.
A woman in her church fellowship told her what to do. “This is a battle,” she said. “You must show God you are serious. Do the Esther fast. Three days, no food, no water. That is how you get His attention.” Tosin had never fasted like that before, but she was desperate, and the woman seemed so certain.
Tosin is a sales representative for a pharmaceutical distributor, and her job involves visiting pharmacies and clinics across the mainland. For three days in the March heat, she made her rounds by keke and on foot without a sip of water. By the afternoon of the second day she had a pounding headache. By the third morning her mouth was dry and her hands were shaking. She kept going. If I stop now, she thought, everything I have done will be wasted.
At about two o’clock on the third day, she collapsed at a bus stop in Ojota. A trader selling sachet water caught her before her head hit the kerb. When she woke up, she was lying in a small private clinic with a drip in her arm. The doctor told her she was severely dehydrated and that her kidneys were under strain. “Another day of this,” he said, “and we would be having a very different conversation.”
The wife of her pastor came to see her that evening. Tosin was ashamed and tearful. “I was trying to show God I was serious,” she said. Then she was quiet for a while, and added, “I think I was trying to bribe Him.”
That sentence is where this teaching begins. Fasting is a real, biblical and valuable practice. Jesus expected His followers to fast. The early church fasted. But fasting can be twisted into something it was never meant to be, and when it is, it can damage our bodies and distort our picture of God.
“When ye fast”
Jesus taught about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount, in the same passage where He spoke about giving and prayer:
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Notice how Jesus begins: “when ye fast.” He did not say if. He took it for granted that His followers would fast, just as He took it for granted that they would give and pray (Matthew 6:2,5). Fasting is not a strange practice reserved for a few unusually intense believers. Jesus treated it as a normal part of the life of His disciples.
What concerned Him was the motive. The hypocrites “disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.” In that culture, fasting was often accompanied by visible signs: an unwashed face, dishevelled hair, perhaps ashes. Some people made sure everyone could see how much they were suffering for God. Jesus said, “They have their reward.” The word He uses was used in business for giving a receipt, marking a debt as paid in full. They wanted to be seen, they were seen, and that was the whole transaction. There was nothing more to come.
Jesus’ alternative is simple: “anoint thine head, and wash thy face.” Look normal. Go about your day without advertising your hunger. The fast is between you and “thy Father which is in secret.”
Then comes the promise: “thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Some people read this as the payment that the hypocrites missed: fast secretly and God will pay you instead. But listen to the language. This is a Father, not an employer. The reward of secret fasting is the Father’s own response to His child, His pleasure, His nearness, His answer in His own time and way. It is the reward of fellowship, not a wage for hunger.
This passage also does not forbid all shared or public fasting. As we will see, the church in Acts fasted together. What Jesus forbids is fasting as a performance, done to build a spiritual reputation.
The bridegroom and the new wine
Early in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus was asked a direct question about fasting:
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
The disciples of John the Baptist fasted. So did the Pharisees, many of whom made a practice of fasting twice a week. One Pharisee boasted in prayer, “I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:12). For him, fasting was a credential, something to list in his favour before God. Jesus’ disciples, by contrast, were not fasting, and people wanted to know why.
Jesus answered with a picture from a wedding. “Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?” A Jewish wedding feast could last a week. Nobody fasted at a wedding. It would have been an insult to the host. While Jesus was physically present with His disciples, it was a time of celebration.
Then He added: “But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.” Jesus anticipated His death, resurrection and ascension. After He was taken from them physically, His followers would fast. That is the season we live in now. We have the Holy Spirit, and Christ dwells in us, but we are still waiting for the day we see Him face to face. Christian fasting carries that longing. It says, in the language of the body, we want more of Him. We are waiting for His return.
Then Jesus told two short parables. No one sews new cloth onto an old garment, because the patch shrinks and tears the garment. No one puts new wine into old wineskins, because the fermenting wine bursts the brittle skins. “But new wine must be put into new bottles.”
What has this to do with fasting? Jesus is saying that what He brings cannot be poured into the old religious forms. The kingdom He brings is not a patch on the old system of merit and ritual. That applies directly to fasting. Under the New Covenant, fasting cannot be carried in the old wineskin of earning, where hunger is offered as payment for favour. It must be carried in a new wineskin: fasting by sons and daughters who already have the Father’s favour, and who fast out of love, longing and attention.
PunchlineNew Covenant fasting is not hunger offered as payment for God’s favour. It is the hunger of sons and daughters who already have His favour and want more of Him.
Fasting in the church at Antioch
The clearest picture of New Testament fasting comes from the church in Antioch, the congregation that would send out the first great missionary journey:
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Look at what these leaders were doing: “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted.” The word ministered is the word for worship and priestly service. They were worshipping and fasting together, giving the Lord their attention. Luke does not say they were fasting to get something from God. They were not trying to force an answer. They were simply giving Him their whole attention, with the ordinary demands of eating set aside.
And in that atmosphere of worship and attention, “the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Fasting did not manufacture God’s will. God already had a plan. What fasting did was create space in which they were ready to hear it.
Then notice what happened next: “And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” They fasted again before sending them out. This was a serious moment. Two of their most gifted leaders were being sent into danger. The church marked it with focused prayer and fasting, and then entrusted them to God.
The same pattern appears at the end of that missionary journey:
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Paul and Barnabas returned to the young churches they had planted, strengthening the believers and warning them that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Then they appointed elders. And “when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”
Here is the heart of fasting in the early church. It accompanied seasons of discernment, commissioning and important decisions. It was often done together. It expressed dependence. And it ended not with a demand but with entrusting: “they commended them to the Lord.” Paul himself fasted as part of his ordinary life of ministry, describing himself as being “in fastings often” (2 Corinthians 11:27).
What fasting is for
If fasting is not a payment, what is it for? Scripture shows us several purposes.
Fasting reminds us of our dependence. Moses told Israel that God had let them hunger in the wilderness and fed them with manna “that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus quoted that verse after fasting forty days in the wilderness. When your stomach growls at lunchtime and you turn instead to prayer, you are telling your body what your spirit already knows: you live by God.
Fasting humbles us. David wrote, “I humbled my soul with fasting” (Psalm 35:13). Hunger has a way of stripping away our sense of self-sufficiency. It reminds us that we are creatures, frail and needy, before a holy God.
Fasting accompanies grief and repentance. When God called His people back to Himself through the prophet Joel, He said:
Therefore also now, saith the LORD , turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
“Rend your heart, and not your garments.” The outward signs were never the point. God wanted hearts that were truly turning to Him. And notice the reason given: “for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.” People do not fast to make an angry God become merciful. They return because He already is merciful.
Fasting accompanies intercession and the search for direction. When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, he “mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). When Ezra was about to lead a vulnerable company on a dangerous journey, he proclaimed a fast “to seek of him a right way for us” (Ezra 8:21).
NuggetIn every case, fasting is a way of setting other things aside in order to give God focused attention. It is a sharpened form of prayer, not a substitute for faith.
The fast God refused
There is a passage in Isaiah that every believer who fasts should read. The people of Judah were fasting, and they were frustrated that God did not seem to respond:
Wherefore have we fasted, say they , and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him ? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD ? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
“Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?” Their complaint is revealing. They thought of fasting as a transaction. They had done their part, so why had God not done His? It is almost exactly what Tosin felt in that clinic.
God’s answer is direct. “Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.” They were fasting while driving their workers hard. “Ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.” They were fasting and quarrelling. Their religious hunger sat side by side with injustice and cruelty, and they could not see the contradiction.
Then God describes the fast He has chosen: “to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free... to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house.” The fast God values cannot be separated from love for people.
That is a searching word for us. It is possible to fast for three days while speaking harshly to the house-help, underpaying the driver, gossiping about a church member or refusing to reconcile with a sibling. Isaiah says such fasting does not reach heaven, whatever it costs our bodies. On the other hand, a simple fast in which the money saved on lunch is given to someone in need, and in which we ask God to show us where we have been unjust, begins to look like the fast He chose.
Fasting cannot buy what grace has given
Under the New Covenant we need to be very clear about one thing. Nothing we do can add to the finished work of Christ. We come to the Father “by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19), and that access is complete. Fasting does not increase it. Fasting does not make the cross more effective. Fasting does not put God in our debt.
Many believers, without realising it, treat fasting like a hunger strike. The idea is that if we suffer enough, God will feel obliged to give in. But God is not an unjust government that has to be pressured into doing the right thing. He is our Father. He already knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). He gave us His own Son, and Paul asks, “how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). We do not need to twist His arm.
Some point to Jesus’ words after the disciples failed to cast out a demon: “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). It is worth knowing that some early manuscripts do not include this verse, and sincere believers differ on how much weight to put on it. Whatever view we take, notice the explanation Jesus gave just before it: “Because of your unbelief” (Matthew 17:20). The disciples’ problem was weak faith, not a missing technique. If fasting has a role in such situations, it is as part of a life of deep dependence on God, not as a spiritual power-up we switch on when ordinary prayer fails.
Paul warns about severe self-denial that looks impressive but achieves nothing. He describes rules of “neglecting of the body” that have “a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility,” but are “not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23). Harshness toward the body can look very spiritual. It does not, by itself, make us holy.
For the same reason, we should never measure another believer’s spirituality by how long or how hard they fast. Church fasting programmes can be a real blessing when they gather a congregation to seek God together. But no one should be shamed for joining in a gentler way, or for not joining at all for good reasons.
Caring for your body while you fast
Paul reminds us that “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Caring for that body is part of honouring God. Fasting should never become a way of harming it.
Some people should not fast from food at all without first speaking to a doctor. This includes women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people living with diabetes, people with kidney disease, high blood pressure, heart conditions or stomach ulcers, anyone on regular medication, the elderly and frail, and children and young teenagers. For some medications, missing meals or water can be genuinely dangerous. Seeking medical advice is not a lack of faith. It is wisdom.
If you have ever struggled with an eating disorder, please be especially careful. Fasting can become a religious cover for patterns that are destroying your health, and the people around you may even praise you for it. Talk to someone you trust and to a qualified professional. God does not need you to starve yourself to draw near to Him.
What about the three-day water-free fast that Tosin was told to do? Esther called for one in a moment of extreme national danger (Esther 4:16), and Moses fasted forty days on the mountain in the very presence of God. These were exceptional events. Scripture nowhere commands water-free fasting as a normal practice for believers, and no one should be pressured into it. For most people, a fast means going without food for a set period while still drinking water.
There are other forms of fasting too. Daniel once went three weeks eating “no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth” (Daniel 10:3). That kind of partial fast, setting aside certain foods, can be a wise option for many people. And fasting does not have to involve food at all. You might fast from social media, television, entertainment or your phone for a set period, and give that time to prayer and Scripture. For people who cannot safely go without food, these fasts are just as real.
Beginning well
PunchlineIf you have never fasted, or if your experience of fasting has been shaped by pressure and fear, here are some simple ways to begin.
Start with a purpose. Ask yourself why you are fasting. To seek God’s direction about a decision? To pray for a family member? To humble yourself and return to Him after a season of drifting? Simply to give Him more of your attention? Let the purpose be fellowship and dependence, not payment.
Start small. Skip one meal, perhaps lunch on a working day, and give the time to prayer and reading. Later you might extend that to a whole day, from evening to evening, drinking water throughout. There is no prize for difficulty.
Fill the space. A fast without prayer is just a diet. Use the time you would have spent eating to read Scripture, pray, worship or sit quietly before God. The hunger you feel can become a reminder to turn your thoughts to Him.
Keep it quiet, without turning secrecy into another anxiety. Jesus told us not to perform our fasting. But it is perfectly fine for your spouse or a close friend to know, and wise if you have any health concerns. If your church is fasting together, join with a glad heart.
Give what you save. Isaiah 58 links fasting with feeding the hungry. Consider giving the money you would have spent on food to someone who needs it.
Break the fast gently. Eat something light first. And if you break a fast earlier than you planned, because you felt unwell or circumstances changed, do not condemn yourself. Your Father is not keeping score.
Tosin spent two days in that clinic. The pastor’s wife came back the second evening with a flask of pepper soup and her Bible. She read Isaiah 58 aloud and then Matthew 6:16-18, and she talked to Tosin for a long time about the Father who sees in secret and already loves her.
“You did not need to frighten Him into helping you,” she said. “He is not that kind of Father.”
Tosin did not stop fasting. But she fasts differently now. On Wednesdays she skips lunch. She drinks water. She parks her car under a tree near one of the pharmacies she visits and spends forty minutes reading Scripture and praying. She tells no one except her mother. The money she would have spent on lunch goes into an envelope, and at the end of each month she gives it to a widow in her church.
Her visa was granted in April. She told me she is grateful, and she believes God answered her prayers. But she also says she knows exactly what did not get it for her. “It was not my three days at that bus stop,” she said. “He was always going to be my Father, visa or no visa. I just could not believe it until I had nearly killed myself trying to earn it.”
These days, when Tosin feels hungry on a Wednesday afternoon, she does not hear it as the sound of a payment being made. She hears it as a reminder: man doth not live by bread only. And she turns her attention to the Father who sees in secret.
Teaching Companion
For Reflection
- Have you ever fasted with the hope that your hunger would make God more willing to act? What did that reveal about how you saw Him?
- Jesus said “when ye fast,” not “if.” What place, if any, does fasting have in your life at present?
- Isaiah 58 links true fasting with justice and generosity. What relationships or practices in your life might God be asking you to put right?
- Are there health conditions or past struggles that mean you should speak to a doctor or counsellor before fasting from food? What other forms of fasting might suit you?
- How would your experience of fasting change if you saw it as fellowship rather than payment?
This Week
Choose one day this week to fast from one meal, or from social media or entertainment if food fasting is not wise for you. Before you begin, write down one clear purpose for your fast. During the time you would normally eat or scroll, read Isaiah 58:6-11 and Matthew 6:16-18 slowly and pray. Set aside the money or time you save and give it to someone in need before the week ends. Tell no one except perhaps a spouse or close friend, and if you have any health concern, speak to your doctor first.
A Prayer
Father, thank You that I already have access to You through the blood of Jesus, and that nothing I do can make You love me more. Forgive me for the times I have tried to bargain with You or pressure You through my own suffering. Teach me to fast as Your child, out of love and longing for more of You, not as payment for an answer. Let my fasting be joined to justice and generosity, as You desire. Give me wisdom to care for the body You have given me. And as I wait for the Bridegroom’s return, let my hunger turn my heart toward You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Truth received brings freedom. Truth believed establishes the heart.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. · Illustrations using first names only are composites unless stated otherwise.