Ash Wednesday is right around the corner. With the season of Lent comes the inevitable conversation of fasting and the question, “What will you give up for Lent this year?”
I was nineteen when I fasted for spiritual purposes for the first time. I drank only water for nine days and broke my fast with communion. The body of Christ, given for me.
During that nine-day fast, I heard God’s voice more clearly than I ever had prior. I have fasted every January 1-3 every year since, excluding the years I was pregnant or nursing.
Most people misunderstand the purpose of fasting and its potential benefits—both physical and spiritual. But Jesus doesn't say in Matthew 6, “if you fast.” He says, “when you fast.” The premise of his teaching about fasting is that the disciples have fasted before. “When you fast.”
What Are the Physical Benefits of Fasting?
Alan Cott MD, in his book Fasting is a Way of Life, writes, “there are those whose attitudes toward going without food for even one day are frozen in fear and ignorance.”
“The Edwin Smith papyrus, estimated to be 3,700 years old, quotes an ancient Egyptian doctor: “Man eats too much. Thus he lives only on one fourth of what he consumes. The doctors, however, live on the remaining three-fourths.” And that was 3,700 years ago!
Bing Wall, in a lecture at Bethel seminary, said, “One doctor estimates that 80 percent of diseases are related to food consumption.” Even if that percentage is off, it is statistically proven that hundreds of diseases are attributed to poor food consumption. Poor diets, high in processed foods, sugar, unhealthy fats, and too much salt contribute to chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Ultra-processed foods are linked to over 30 conditions, including gastrointestinal, respiratory, and mental health issues.
Doctor Buchinger, a German specialist on the healing fast, talks about how the dead and sick cells are the first to go when someone fasts. He uses the analogy of a farmer caught in a winter snowstorm who must decide what to burn first to keep warm. “The first things to go are spare lumber broken furniture old magazines and books,” from the most expendable to the most necessary, “the pores of the skin the mouth the lungs the kidneys the liver and of course the bowels are involved in this physical spring cleaning."
Franklin Hall tells a story about doctor Tanner, a Christian by devotion and a physician by trade. Hall writes that Doctor Tanner lived to be 92 years of age and gave credit to fasting for his longevity of life... His first fast was so glorious that he took on additional fasts of over 40 days. After his last fast, a crop of black hair appeared in place of the Gray hair. This story aligns with Thomas Ryan's view that fasting has the potential to slow the aging process.
In Fasting: The Ultimate Diet by Alan Knott MD, he lists reasons why fasting is beneficial. “Fasting leads to better eating habits, reduces tension, helps you feel better mentally and physically, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol level levels, improves sleep, helps end dependence on smoking drinking and other addictions, heightens spiritual awareness, and saves food time and money.”
But, of course, the Bible isn't primarily concerned with the health benefits of fasting, which shouldn't be viewed as a cure-all (and shouldn't be undertaken if you have certain health considerations). Even more noteworthy are the spiritual benefits, which we will look at below.
What Are the Spiritual Benefits of Fasting?
No matter what type of fast you undergo, the motive behind the fast is what determines the right or the wrong of it. God reveals anger toward priests in the Old Testament when He says,
“When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?” Zechariah 7:5
God wants to be first. When we fast, we offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices. We are spiritually kneeling in humility to listen for His will.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God calls religious leaders to fast in the case of a national crisis. And he promises them, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal the land.”
Nehemiah fasted and God gave him direction.
They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:3-4
This proverb describes fasting with acute precision.
An old Cherokee said to his grandson, “A terrible fight is going on inside me between two wolves.
“One wolf is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
The grandson asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
“The one I feed,” the elder replied.
When I starve my selfish self, the part of me that makes demands to God like a spoiled child begging for dessert, I hear the quieter, spiritual frequencies. Fasting taught me that God does not shout for our attention, nor should He have to. He is in the wind and the whisper (1 Kings 19).
God wants our hearts. Joel 2:12-13, paired with Hosea 6:6, are two of my favorite verses.
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning."Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
The practice of tearing clothing was often associated with mourning, as well as fasting. The “rending” of garments was an outward demonstration for what should have been a secret sacrifice. The act of the sacrifice was never the point.
Fasting is a terrible weight-loss plan because at the end of the fast, your body will hoard every calorie you intake. When I fast, I gain all my weight back, pound for pound. Some years I even gained more weight afterward.
“I’m giving up chocolate for Lent!” is a great diet strategy, but the declaration falls short of fasting’s true intent. As the author of God’s Plan for Prayer and Fasting wrote, “Fasting is not designed to get the eye of man, but the ear of God.”
As Lent approaches this year, rather than asking yourself, “What unhealthy dependency can I break by using fasting as a springboard,” ask yourself, “What does God require of me?” Pray about what you should fast. God will honor the ask.
Fasting is not an activity we sign up for. It is a sanctuary we enter into. It is a place where we meet with God one on one. The fast changes the faster. On the morning of day four or day eight, when I break my fast, I am always sad to leave our space. And every time, God laughs. You can bring me with you, He seems to say. That’s the whole point.
Types of Biblical Fasts
If this has spoken to you, but you are new to fasting, you may wonder, "How do I fast?" or "What types of fasts are there?"
In the Bible, there are three types of fasting:
- a complete fast
- a partial fast
- a systematic fast.
1. A Complete Fast:
A complete fast, also referred to as an absolute fast, means abstaining from food and water. This type of fast should be done no more than three days due to our need for water to survive. Some books recommend only one day. Esther asking the Israelites to fast for three days is an example of a complete fast.
“Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” Esther 4:16
Esther was the mediator between the king of Persia and the Israelites. She believed so much in the divine power of fasting that she commanded all of Israel to abstain from food and water for three days so they could dedicate their time in prayer to God. As stated above, a complete fast should only be done for three days maximum, because the human body will die without water for three to five days. So, when the Israelites underwent a complete fast for three days, they were using their bodies to tell God “We will die without you. We believe you are the only one who can save us.”
2. A Partial Fast:
There are several ways to undergo a partial fast, such as abstaining from various foods or skipping one meal to meditate instead. Daniel 1, when Daniel and his friends eat only vegetables and drink only water, is an example of a partial fast.
“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” Daniel 1:12-13
3. A Systematic Fast:
Systematic fasting is a period of fasting for a specific day, time, or portion of the year. My choice to fast the first three days of each new year is a systematic fast.
The Israelites’ Day of Atonement was a systematic fast.
“On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn, you must deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you. On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the Lord’s presence from all your sins.” Leviticus 16:29-30.
Fasting can seem daunting, especially if you've never done it before. It's okay to start small and, as you experience more of God's provision and your trust grows, to lean more into this spiritual practice.
Alternatives to a Water-Only Fast
Here are some ways I’ve adapted my water-only fast with time:
- Tea
- Coffee with zero-calorie sweetener
- A chicken bouillon cube in water for dinner
- Zero-sugar water flavorings such as Crystal Light
Fasting isn’t about impressing God or punishing ourselves—it’s about quieting every other voice so we can hear His, offering our hearts in surrender, and creating space to walk more closely with the One who gave everything for us. This season of Lent, I encourage you to be open to whether God may be speaking to you about not just giving something up, but about how fasting can draw your heart into greater communion with him.
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