World’s Best 14 Bible Verses About Fasting

Update on October 28, 2019 by Pastor Jack Wellman

Fasting isn’t done as often as it used to be but it’s still important for those who are not medically restricted from doing so. Curious to know why and what the Bible says about fasting? Below are the world’s best 14 Bible verses about fasting to read and study.

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

- Daniel 9:3

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

- Matthew 6:16

Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

- Joel 1:14

Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

- Acts 13:12

And Jesus said to them, “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

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

- Matthew 9:14

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

- Isaiah 58:6

Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.

- Isaiah 58:4

So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

- Exodus 34:28

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

- Matthew 6:17-18

And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

- Matthew 4:2

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

- Joel 2:12

And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

- Mark 9:29

“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

- Esther 4:16

Total Quotes Found: 14

5 Stories From The Bible About Fasting

Here are 5 great stories from the Bible about fasting.

Fasting to be Seen – Matthew 6

It’s better to fast and let no one know than to announce it to everyone you know. Jesus said that “when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Matthew 6:16). Wouldn’t you rather receive an eternal reward from God by fasting in secret than doing it openly and receiving a reward from the accolades of man?

Forcing God’s Hand – Isaiah 58

Many people who are tired and hungry get a little temperamental, but true fasting should be done in humility and secrecy. “Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high” (Isaiah 58:4). You can’t force God into doing something He does not want to do, even with a 40-day fast. That’s now how fasting works.

Fasting and Weeping – Joel 2

When Joel wrote his book, the nation of Israel was in great need of repentance, so he wrote that there was still time for repentance, so Lord spoke through Joel and told His people to “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12). Fasting and mourning over one’s sins is a great reason to fast as it can lead to repentance.

Prayer and Fasting – Acts 14

When the church had to make big decisions, they fasted and prayed about it, and this is still a great way to approach things when you’re faced with trials or a huge decision in your life. We see how the church responded when they needed to appoint elders. It says that “when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23). This helped to assure that God’s will would be known and followed by the early church.

Breaking Addictions – Isaiah 58

Some fast to break addictions, and this too is a great reason to fast. Fasting clears our minds and lets us see just how dependent upon God we are for everything. Isaiah the Prophet asked, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6)? Want to break an addiction? Fast and pray. These are two potent powers in overcoming addictions.

Fasting is Biblical

Fasting is not one of my favorite things to do and it’s probably not yours either, but some people automatically fast when they’re grieving, or in danger, or in fear of something that might happen. Fasting is biblical and it does help to humble us before our God. Fasting and prayer go together, so why not try fasting (after speaking to your doctor) over sin, for overcoming addictions, and for making the right decision.

Fasting can be a special help for those who are trying to overcome an addiction or praying for something that is critically important, so why not share these with someone who might be able to use them.

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