53+ Bible Verses for Fasting

Fasting is a spiritual discipline practiced for centuries, serving as a powerful tool for personal edification and communion with God. Within the Christian tradition, fasting is a voluntary abnegation of physical nourishment to seek a deeper spiritual connection and petition God earnestly. This article presents an anthology of 56 Bible verses and 7 Christian quotes, drawing from the wellspring of wisdom in the New King James Version (NKJV) to guide and inspire those who embark on this sacred journey. As you delve into the scriptural insights and reflections presented, you're encouraged to continue with an open heart and mind for a comprehensive understanding of fasting as illuminated by God's Word.

Through the ages, fasting has been observed in moments of penitence, decision-making, and intercession. It is a practice that transcends the mere act of abstaining from food, touching the core of a believer’s spiritual life. Whether you are considering fasting for the first time or are seeking to deepen your existing practice, the passages and insights gathered here are intended to provide direction, encouragement, and contemplation. Let this compilation be your companion in pursuing spiritual clarity and divine wisdom.

Understanding the Purpose of Fasting

"So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer."

- Ezra 8:23 (NKJV)

"Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions."

- Ezra 8:21 (NKJV)

"However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

- Matthew 6:17-18 (NKJV)

"Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away."

- Acts 13:3 (NKJV)

"So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer."

- Ezra 8:23 (NKJV)

"And 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 (NKJV)

The Spiritual Benefits of Fasting

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?"

- Isaiah 58:6 (NKJV)

"Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."

- Isaiah 58:8 (NKJV)

"But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation."

- Psalm 69:13 (NKJV)

"Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,"

- Isaiah 58:9 (NKJV)

"And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away."

- Acts 13:3 (NKJV)

"Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

- Luke 6:12 (NKJV)

"Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:"

- Joel 2:12 (NKJV)

Fasting as a Means of Humility

"Then you called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah"

- Psalm 81:7 (NKJV)

"When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, That became my reproach."

- Psalm 69:10 (NKJV)

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,"

- 1 Peter 5:6 (NKJV)

"And He said to them, 'This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.'"

- Mark 9:29 (NKJV)

"And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"

- Daniel 9:3 (NKJV)

"'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"

- Luke 18:12 (NKJV)

"So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."

- Nehemiah 1:4 (NKJV)

Fasting for Repentance and Forgiveness

"Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,"

- Psalm 35:13 (NKJV)

"Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven."

- Matthew 12:31 (NKJV)

"Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads."

- Nehemiah 9:1 (NKJV)

"And the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them."

- Jonah 3:5 (NKJV)

"I humbled my soul with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart."

- Psalm 35:13 (NKJV)

"Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses."

- Psalm 107:13 (NKJV)

"Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm."

- Joel 2:13 (NKJV)

Fasting and Spiritual Warfare

"However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

- Matthew 17:21 (NKJV)

"And He said to them, 'This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.'"

- Mark 9:29 (NKJV)

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

- James 4:17 (NKJV)

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,"

- Ephesians 6:14 (NKJV)

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

- Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV)

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh."

- 2 Corinthians 10:3 (NKJV)

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,"

- 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV)

Fasting for Guidance and Decision-Making

"So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer."

- Ezra 8:23 (NKJV)

"Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off."

- Acts 13:3 (NKJV)

"And 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 (NKJV)

"And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'"

- Acts 13:2 (NKJV)

"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 (NKJV)

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil."

- Proverbs 3:7 (NKJV)

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;"

- Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)

Fasting as Worship and Devotion

"But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart."

- Psalm 35:13 (NKJV)

"Now it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."

- Nehemiah 1:4 (NKJV)

"So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer."

- Ezra 8:23 (NKJV)

"And she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."

- Luke 2:37 (NKJV)

"That I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you."

- Romans 15:32 (NKJV)

"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."

- Acts 1:14 (NKJV)

"And he said to them, 'This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.'"

- Mark 9:29 (NKJV)

Fasting During Mourning and Lamentation

"When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, That became my reproach."

- Psalm 69:10 (NKJV)

"Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals And a mourning like the ostriches,"

- Micah 1:8 (NKJV)

"For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him."

- 1 Samuel 1:27 (NKJV)

"David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground."

- 2 Samuel 12:16 (NKJV)

"Then they took sackcloth and spread it for themselves on the rock, and they fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD."

- 1 Samuel 7:6 (NKJV)

"Come, let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up."

- Hosea 6:1 (NKJV)

"Judah mourns, And her gates languish; They mourn for the land, And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up."

- Jeremiah 14:2 (NKJV)

Christian Quotes

"Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food."

- Dallas Willard

"By fasting, the body learns to obey the soul; by praying the soul learns to command the body."

- William Secker

"Fasting is abstaining from anything that hinders prayer."

- Andrew Bonar

"Our greatest victories are won on our knees and with empty stomachs."

- Julio C. Ruibal

"Fasting is an important spiritual exercise that goes beyond abstaining from food; it detaches us from the world while providing time for reflection and growth in our spiritual life."

- Unknown

"The discipline of fasting breaks you out of the world's routine."

- Jentezen Franklin

"When the stomach is full, it is easy to talk of fasting."

- Saint Jerome

Conclusion

Fasting is more than a dietary choice; it is a spiritual discipline designed to draw us closer to God. Through fasting, we are reminded of the sufficiency of God's grace and the nourishment that comes from His word. As these Bible verses and Christian quotes illustrate, fasting serves as a powerful tool for worship, repentance, and personal transformation within the Christian faith.

"However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

- Matthew 17:21 (NKJV)

"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

- Matthew 6:17-18 (NKJV)

"Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment."

- Luke 23:56 (NKJV)