An Acceptable Fast to God
An acceptable fast is spoken of by the Lord in Isaiah 58.
“Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?’”1
The Lord continues:
“If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted. If because of the Sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word.”2
Reasons for a Fast
There are many reasons to fast and “abstain from food voluntarily:”3
- Spiritual humility to know God more or to break addictions or yokes
- Physical weight loss by boosting the metabolism process
- Mental clarity since it acts as a natural brain stimulant
- Health benefits as it helps boost the immune system
Spiritual Benefits of a Fast
God says the benefits are:
“Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’”4
“Then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. You will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”5
“Then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”6
Fast Prayer
Lord, we desire to humble ourselves before You. We choose to abstain from food because we desire to break the bonds of wickedness and see the oppressed go free. We don’t want to hide from our own flesh, so bring forth a spirit of repentance, reconciliation and the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
Lord, we do long for Your light to break forth in the darkness, we do want to live as a content people, and we cry out for the restoration of our cities. Thank you for hearing our prayers. Amen.
Recommendations:
Run to Soar Run to Soar – Strength with Dignity
10 Bible Verses to Help Us Dwell in God’s Peace 10 Bible Verses to Help us Dwell in God’s Peace – Strength with Dignity
References:
1 Isaiah 58:6-7 NASB
2 Isaiah 58:9b-10a, 13 NASB
3 Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from Websters Dictionary 1828 – Webster’s Dictionary 1828 – Fast
4 Isaiah 58:8-9 NASB
5 Isaiah 58:10b-12 NASB
6 Isaiah 58:14 NASB
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB 1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Top 10 Reasons to Fast and the Benefits of 24 Hour Fast! Published by Weight Loss Ninja. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from Top 10 Reasons to Fast & 24 Hours Fast Benefits | Weloni
Wellman, Jack. What are Some Biblical Reasons to Fast? Published by Telling Ministries. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from What Are Some Biblical Reasons To Fast (whatchristianswanttoknow.com)
Bible Gateway Blogger Grid Member #bgbg2 #BibleGateway
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one-word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. The prompt this week is fast.
8 thoughts on “An Acceptable Fast to God”
You are so right. Just because we are fasting, doesn’t mean that we are doing it with the proper attitude or motives.
I’m so thankful the Lord leads us in how to fast before Him, Barb, it gives us such healthy parameters.
Fasting does sure soundeth good,
but for me I’m ‘fraid it ain’t,
’cause without the proper food
I am truly sure to faint.
It’s not that I do eat a lot,
and when I eat, I eateth slow,
but there is something that I’ve got,
that when blood sugar getteth low
I fall unconscious, mercy me,
straight unto unyielding ground
like a just-felled poplar tree
with a rather thumpy sound
that makes my dear wife roll her eyes
and cook me up a plate of fries.
Health issues definitely affect if, when and how we fast, Andrew. But I think fasting is more of a heart issue than a food issue; and in that light, drawing near to God is what it is all about, isn’t it?
Lisa, I have always loved those verses in Isaiah 58. There is so much more to fasting than simply abstaining from food. As always, God is interested in our hearts. If we make fasting all about food or “giving up” something we miss the whole point and purpose of the fast.
Yes, fasting is all about our hearts, Donna!
So true. We don’t necessarily have to fast food either, we can and should fast other things as well.
Yes, Cindy, fasting is all about our relationship with Him!