Holy Bible Online 
To pray is to talk with God. It is impossible to have intimacy with someone if we do not spend time talking to them. With God it is the same: if we do not set aside time every day to speak with Him, our relationship with Him will grow cold. Throughout the Bible, we find examples of fasting in both the Old and New Testaments. We read about Moses, David, Daniel, Esther, Jesus, and the early church, men and women who fasted and prayed and drew closer to God.
Fasting and prayer are spiritual practices deeply rooted in the Bible and the Christian faith. Throughout Scripture, fasting is closely connected to prayer, repentance, humility, and seeking God’s guidance. Many believers search for Bible verses about fasting and prayer to understand their biblical meaning, spiritual purpose, and how these disciplines can strengthen their relationship with God.
To fast means to stop eating and/or drinking for a certain period of time while seeking the presence of God. Fasting does not change God, because God is unchangeable, always good, faithful, just, and loving, but it changes the one who fasts.
Is fasting a commandment?
While prayer is essential for every Christian, fasting is optional. To receive salvation, every person must pray that is, speak with God, acknowledging their sin and receiving the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
It is not necessary to fast in order to be saved or to receive God’s blessings. However, we see in the Bible that fasting is associated with special spiritual dedication in the life of the one who fasts. Some people cannot fast for medical reasons, but those who can would benefit from setting aside a time of fasting to seek the face of God.
We have put together Bible verses about fasting and prayer to help Christians learn how to practice fasting in a way that honors God, not as a religious obligation, but as a sincere act of devotion and faith.
Fasting and Prayer in the Bible
Matthew 6:16–18
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, 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
When you fast, do not make an event of it. Let it be between you and God.
Mark 9:29
He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”
- Mark 9:29
Prayer and fasting always go hand in hand.
Joel 2:12
"Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
- Joel 2:12
If you feel distant from God and want to draw closer, fast and pray and draw near to Him.
Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
- Acts 14:23
It is good to commit everything to the Lord with prayer and fasting, and we can trust Him with the desires of our hearts.
Acts 13:2
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
- Acts 13:2
When you are in a season of prayer and fasting, you will be able to hear the Holy Spirit more clearly. The Lord will speak to you.
Acts 13:3
So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
- Acts 13:3
Before any major steps, commit it to the Lord by spending time in prayer and fasting. The Lord will bless your plans.
Esther 4:16
Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
- Esther 4:16
Fasting is sometimes an act of courage and surrender, trusting God with the outcome.
Nehemiah 1:4
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
- Nehemiah 1:4
There are moments in our lives when we may feel all is lost, times when we may feel broken, but remember this: the Lord hears our cry.
Luke 2:37
And then she was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
- Luke 2:37
Have you ever considered the time you spend in the presence of the Lord? How much time do we commit to prayer? Is it what is left after we have prioritized our day?
Joel 1:14
Declare a holy fast;
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
- Joel 1:14
When two or three are gathered in His name, the Lord is there. Gather together in prayer and fasting, and seek God for breakthroughs.
Psalm 35:13
Yet when they were ill,
I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting;
when my prayers returned to me unanswered…
- Psalm 35:13
The Lord answers our prayers in His time. We must never let the delay in getting our prayers answered turn us away from God. Instead, we must press on in prayer with fasting.
Daniel 9:3
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
- Daniel 9:3
The Lord answers the prayers of the brokenhearted. When you feel lost or dejected, turn to the Lord, and He will hear your heart’s cry.
Daniel 10:3
I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
- Daniel 10:3
There are many types of fasting mentioned in the Bible, including total fasting, water fasting, partial fasting, and fasting from other things. Read more The 4 Types of Fasting Mentioned in the Scriptures
Matthew 17:20–21
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
- Matthew 17:20–21
There are times when you need more than just faith. There are moments when we need to persevere in faith with prayer and fasting. When we do so, we will see mountains move.
2 Samuel 12:16
David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.
- 2 Samuel 12:16
God hears our cry. He sees our pain. He responds by providing the comfort we need in our times of hardship.
Joel 2:15
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
- Joel 2:15
Pray and fast, for the Lord is your God, and He delights in a humble heart.
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