“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.”
Jesus fasted. Before his public ministry he was led into the wilderness, “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred” (Matthew 4:2, KJV). When the devil tempted him to turn stones into bread, he answered, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, KJV). He also said his disciples would fast after he was taken from them: “then shall they fast” (Matthew 9:15, KJV).
God’s people fasted at turning points. They fasted in repentance: “turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12, KJV). They fasted in grief, as Nehemiah did when he heard Jerusalem lay in ruins (Nehemiah 1:4). They fasted for guidance and protection, as Ezra did before a dangerous journey, “to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones” (Ezra 8:21, KJV). They fasted for others: Esther asked her people to fast for her before she risked her life (Esther 4:16), and David wrote, “I humbled my soul with fasting” (Psalm 35:13, KJV) while praying for people who were sick. Even the city of Nineveh “proclaimed a fast” (Jonah 3:5, KJV) when it heard God’s warning.
The fast God chooses. Isaiah warns that fasting without love is empty. The people complained that God ignored their fasts, and God told them they fasted while they quarreled and exploited their workers. Then he described the fast he wants:
“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?”
The early church fasted. In Antioch, “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” (Acts 13:2-3, KJV). When Paul and Barnabas appointed leaders for new churches, they “prayed with fasting” (Acts 14:23, KJV). Fasting went with big decisions, new beginnings and seeking God’s direction together.
What fasting is not. It is not a way to impress people (Matthew 6:16), and it is not a way to earn God’s approval. The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable boasted, “I fast twice in the week” (Luke 18:12, KJV), and went home unforgiven. God asked his people a searching question: “did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?” (Zechariah 7:5, KJV).
Kinds of fasts
Christians fast in several ways. All of them are about making room for God, not about the food itself.
| Fast | What it means | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|
| Normal fast | No food for a set time, such as one meal or one day; you still drink water | Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2) |
| Partial fast | Leaving out certain foods, or certain meals, for a season | Daniel’s three weeks without rich food, meat or wine (Daniel 10:2-3) |
| Daniel fast | Vegetables, fruit, grains and water, often for ten days or three weeks | Daniel 1:12 and 10:2-3 |
| Absolute fast | No food and no water, only very briefly; never without medical advice | Esther’s three days (Esther 4:16) |
| Fast from something else | Setting aside a phone, social media, TV or another habit to pray | The same principle as giving up something good for a time “that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer” (1 Corinthians 7:5, KJV) |
| Shared fast | A church or community fasts together for a purpose | Nineveh (Jonah 3:5), Ezra 8:21, the church in Antioch (Acts 13:2-3) |
The Daniel fast
The Daniel fast is a partial fast, and it comes from two moments in Daniel’s life. As a young captive in Babylon he refused the king’s rich food and asked, “let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink” (Daniel 1:12, KJV). The Hebrew word behind “pulse” means vegetables, food grown from seed (Strong’s and Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicons). Years later, mourning and praying for his people, he wrote, “I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled” (Daniel 10:3, KJV).
So a Daniel fast means plain food, such as vegetables, fruit, grains, beans and water, without meat, wine, sweets or rich dishes, for ten days or three weeks. The point is not a menu. It is Daniel’s heart: keeping himself faithful to God in a foreign land, and seeking God earnestly in prayer.
How to start fasting safely
God gave you your body, and caring for it is part of honoring him: “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 6:19, KJV). Fasting should never put your health at risk.
How to fast and pray: a simple first fast
Choose your reason
Write down why you are fasting: to seek God about a decision, to repent, to pray for someone, or simply to draw near to him. A clear purpose keeps the fast about God and not about food.
Choose your fast
For a first fast, skip one meal or fast from breakfast to dinner. If food is not wise for you, choose something else to set aside, such as your phone during meals.
Plan what replaces the meal
Decide in advance what you will do with the time: read a Psalm or a chapter of a Gospel, then pray. A plan keeps the empty time from filling with something else.
Let hunger remind you to pray
When you feel hungry, turn it into a short prayer. Jesus answered hunger with Scripture, and you can too: “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4, KJV).
Give something away
Isaiah links fasting with sharing bread with the hungry. Give what you would have spent on the meal to someone in need or to your church.
End with thanks
Break the fast with a simple meal and thank God for what you received. Keep it private; your Father sees in secret.
What to do while you fast
Pray. Use the time you would spend eating to talk with God. Bring the reason for your fast, and listen. A Psalm can give you words, such as “my soul thirsteth for thee” (Psalm 63:1, KJV). If you would like more help, browse Bible Verses About Prayer.
Read. Feed on Scripture while you skip food. A Gospel, a Psalm or Isaiah 58 are good places to start. In Faithero the daily plan gives you a verse each morning, a chapter each night and a prayer, and “Pray about your day” opens the Bible Guide if you need help finding words.
Give. Jesus taught giving, prayer and fasting together (Matthew 6:2-18), and Isaiah 58 says the fast God chooses includes sharing your bread with the hungry. You can give away what you save by fasting.
Resist. Fasting often brings temptation to the surface, as it did for Jesus in the wilderness. If you find yourself irritable or tempted, that is not a sign the fast has failed. It is a chance to practice depending on God (see How to Overcome Temptation).
How churches fast
The early church. The Didache, a very early Christian handbook usually dated before AD 100, told believers to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, and said that before a baptism the person being baptized, and others who could, should fast for a day or two.
Catholic. Every Friday and the season of Lent are times of penance (canon 1250). Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence, and Fridays are days of abstinence from meat (canon 1251). Abstinence binds from age 14, and fasting binds from 18 until the beginning of the 60th year (canon 1252). On a fast day you eat one full meal, and a little food in the morning and evening is allowed (Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini). Bishops’ conferences can adjust the details or allow other forms of penance (canon 1253), so check with your parish. Catholics also fast for one hour before receiving Communion, except for water and medicine (canon 919).
Orthodox. Fasting is woven through the Orthodox year. In Great Lent the ideal is no meat after Meatfare Sunday and no eggs or dairy after Cheesefare Sunday, and the Orthodox Church in America describes these rules as an ideal to strive for, with each person doing their best. A forty-day fast comes before Christmas, a two-week fast before the feast of the Dormition on August 15, and Wednesdays and Fridays recall Christ’s suffering and death.
Protestant. Many Protestants keep Lent. The United Methodist Church describes it as a season to repent, fast and get ready for Easter, when people often give something up. The Westminster Confession, a standard of Presbyterian churches, names “solemn fastings” on special occasions as part of the worship of God. Some evangelical churches begin each year with a season of prayer and fasting; Church of the Highlands, for example, encourages its members to fast for 21 days every January.
Lent 2027: when it starts
Lent is forty days, not counting Sundays, from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter, remembering Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. In 2027, Ash Wednesday falls on February 10 and Easter Sunday on March 28 (2027 liturgical calendar of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). If you want to fast in Lent, decide before Ash Wednesday what you will give up and what you will add: more prayer, more Scripture, more giving. To read through the season, try the Lent Reading Plan 2027, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter.
Frequently asked
How long should a Christian fast?
The Bible sets no required length. Fasts in Scripture range from part of a day, as when Israel “fasted that day until even” (Judges 20:26, KJV), to three days (Esther 4:16), three weeks (Daniel 10:2-3) and, in rare cases, forty days (Matthew 4:2). If you are new to fasting, start by skipping one meal and using that time to pray, then try a full day, such as from dinner to dinner, if your health allows.
Can you drink water while fasting?
Yes, and you should. Fasts without water are rare in the Bible: Esther asked for three days at a moment of crisis (Esther 4:16), and Moses’ forty days without bread or water on the mountain “with the LORD” (Exodus 34:28, KJV) was an extraordinary event, not a pattern to copy. Do not go without water unless a doctor has told you it is safe for you.
What is the Daniel fast?
It is a partial fast based on two passages in Daniel. In Daniel 1 he asked for “pulse to eat, and water to drink” (Daniel 1:12, KJV), pulse meaning vegetables, for ten days. In Daniel 10 he mourned for three weeks and said, “I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth” (Daniel 10:3, KJV). A Daniel fast follows that pattern: plain food such as vegetables, fruit, grains and water, without meat, wine or rich food, for ten days or three weeks.
Is fasting required for Christians?
Jesus assumed his followers would fast. He said “when ye fast,” not “if” (Matthew 6:16, KJV). The New Testament gives no fixed schedule, though. Catholic and Orthodox churches set fasting days and seasons for their members, while other churches call fasts for special occasions or leave it to each believer’s conscience. Paul’s rule of thumb applies to all: “he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks” (Romans 14:6, KJV).
What are the Catholic fasting rules for Lent?
Under the Code of Canon Law, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence, and Fridays are days of abstinence from meat (canons 1250-1251). Abstinence binds Catholics from age 14; fasting binds from 18 until the beginning of their 60th year, that is, through age 59 (canon 1252). On a fast day you eat one full meal, and some food in the morning and evening is allowed. Bishops’ conferences can set the details for their country, so check with your parish.
Does fasting make God answer prayer?
Fasting is not a way to force God’s hand. In Isaiah’s day people complained, “Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?” (Isaiah 58:3, KJV), and God answered that their fasting had no love in it. Fasting humbles us and clears room to seek God, and Jesus promised that the Father who sees in secret will reward it. The answer, and its timing, stay in God’s hands.
Can I fast if I have diabetes or take medication?
Talk to your doctor before you change how you eat. Going without food can be dangerous with diabetes, in pregnancy, with a history of an eating disorder, or with regular medication. You can still fast in a way that is safe for you, for example by giving up a habit, a screen or a favorite food for a season and using that time to pray.
Hunger that turns into prayer
Many of us seldom feel real hunger. A fast changes that, and the hunger becomes a teacher. Each pang is a small reminder of how much you depend on things outside yourself, and an invitation to turn that dependence toward God. Jesus, hungry in the wilderness, put it in one sentence: we do not live by bread alone.
Do not be discouraged if your first fast feels clumsy, or if you spend more time thinking about lunch than about heaven. That is normal. Bring even that to God: “Lord, I am hungry, and I want to want you more than this.” Fasting is not a performance. It is a quiet, hidden way of seeking your Father, and he sees in secret.
What the Bible says about fasting
Jesus taught about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount, right alongside giving and prayer. Notice the first words, “when ye fast” (Matthew 6:16, KJV), not “if.” He assumed his followers would fast. His concern was why and how.