How to Make Fasting a Reality in Your Life- and No One Will Ever Know

By Tim Howington

As we continue our series of teachings from Matthew 6, I call the “When You” series, we enter into some strange territory- FASTING.

Jesus has addressed

• When you give to the poor
• When you pray and now
• When you fast

On this topic, the writer finds himself a bit of a novice but is learning about this area of fasting.  Maybe we can learn together. In fact, I learn more quickly when I write, so I indulge myself in a learning experience at your expense.

We see in Scripture that there are several national fasts connected with repentance, confession, mourning, and danger [David Seal and Kelly A. Whitcomb, “Fasting” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary]

“Examples of Fasting in the Old Testament

Fasting Associated with Repentance and Confession

1 Sam 7:6 The Israelites fast as a way of turning away from foreign gods and back to the Lord.

Neh 9:1–2 The Israelites fast and confess their sins once all the foreigners are removed from their community.

Jonah 3:4–9 The Ninevites fast when they learn that the city will be overturned in 40 days.

Fasting in Association with Mourning

1 Sam 31:12 When Saul and his sons are killed in battle, the men of Jabesh-Gilead fast.

2 Sam 1:12 David and his men fast when they learn of Saul’s death.

Fasting in Association with Danger

Judges 20:26 The Israelites fight the tribe of Benjamin. Despite having more soldiers, they are losing, so they return to their camp and fast and weep. The result is that the Lord defeats the Benjaminites (Judges 20:35).

2 Chr 20:1–3 When the Moabites and Ammonites come up against Jehoshaphat in battle, Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast in Judah. The Lord brings victory (2 Chr 20:22).

Ezra 8:21–23 A fast is proclaimed prior to the return journey from Babylon to Judaea.

Neh 1:4 Nehemiah fasts when he hears that the gates of Jerusalem have been destroyed and the captives are in danger.

Esther 4:3 When Haman’s decree to kill the Jews reaches the provinces of the king, there is mourning and fasting for the Jews.

 Esther 4:16 Esther, who is about to risk her life by seeking an audience with the king, proclaims a three-day fast for all the Jews in Susa.

Joel 1:13–15 Joel prophesies the day of the Lord, which will bring destruction. The audience is told to lament and sanctify a fast.”

But what I want to address today is not national fasting, but personal fasting. It is interesting to me that both the disciples of John and the Pharisees fasted, but Jesus’ disciples did not. Look at this interaction between Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist.

Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Mt 9:14–17)

Did you catch that? His disciples will fast in the future when he has finished his assignment of redeeming mankind and returns to the Father. The passage is so rich, but I will resist the temptation to camp here. Suffice to say, one of the new wineskins of Christ followers will be fasting.

We are expected to fast.

Our core passage is found in the Sermon on the Mount.

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)

Let’s make some observations about this passage

• We are expected to fast– notice he says whenever you fast, which assumes participation.  Just like he said about giving to the poor and praying.
• We are expected to fast for God’s observation, not men. The hypocrites of the day gave us an example of what not to do. They contort their faces and appearance, so everyone knows they are fasting. If this is your motivation, then your reward is just that- people notice you fasting, and then they think of you better or whatever else the reward might be. Voila. Done. Complete. Nothingness.
• Jesus gives us directions about how to fast. He says, but when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face. All that means is get up and get ready like you normally do. The anointing of the head had more to do with grooming in that day than some special ceremony. The Bible Knowledge Commentary (one of my favorites, by the way) says this about the olive oil anointing: “Fasting emphasized the denial of the flesh, but the Pharisees were glorifying their flesh by drawing attention to themselves. The Lord’s words emphasized once again that such actions should be done in secret before God. Nor was one to follow the Pharisees’ custom of withholding olive oil from his head during fasting. As a result, God alone would know and would reward accordingly.”
• It is ok to want to be noticed by God, who is in secret. He says don’t fast to be noticed by men BUT BY YOUR FATHER WHO IS IN SECRET. Read that again. Your fasting is intended to be done in such a way as to be noticed by God. I can’t help but notice the identical phrasing that Jesus uses in this passage as he used in the prayer passage. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Because of that literary connection, I make the following statement.
• Personal Prayer and Personal Fasting are connected. I don’t know how or why they are connected. This is the big idea that I am trying to learn and experience personally. In fact, I think there is a BIG INSIGHT that all of us need to discover here. Private prayer and private fasting are the next level of intimacy with God. And it is all done in private with no one watching.
• The Father will reward you for your fasting. No idea what this means. Ask me in ten years.

Let me give you a few ideas of how to do this and some benefits. I will use an acronym: FOCUS

Focus your prayer

I think fasting helps you focus your prayer life. The lack of food forces you to dig in and concentrate. And if I am right that fasting is a couplet with private prayer, then it should help focus your prayer. If you can overcome your hankering for a hunk of cheese (you have to be old to get that).

Obey the expectation to fast

Some things we do just because God said we should. And fasting is one of those. We may not understand it yet, but we should explore and see what God has for us.

Control yourself with food abstinence

Fasting in our day has been connected a little to Lent, a 40-day period leading up to Easter. And people give up things for Lent. Social media, certain foods, sweets, entertainment, drinking, sex. And I am not making a comment about this practice, but I think that historically fasting was connected to not EATING FOOD for a period of time. One example is Jesus fasting in the wilderness and afterward being HUNGRY. (Matt 4). So, his fast was about food.

Unity with God

Aligning oneself with God’s person, character, and expectations is the heart of fasting. Sacrificing food quickly shows us that we are weak and feeble and reveals our humble state before a God who doesn’t sleep, slumber, or grow weary. The strongest among us find out quickly that we need alignment and unity with God. And we need His strength.

Secret practice

And when it all comes home, fasting is intended to be private. Now I am not saying that we couldn’t or shouldn’t participate in corporate fasting and prayer. But the lion’s share of our fasting is secret. Or at least I think that is what I think Jesus is saying.

So how do you do it? Let’s borrow a little from the intermittent fasting craze that is all around us for health and weight loss. Just google it if you are not familiar. But the essence of it is for you to pick a period that you will eat and a period that you will not eat. For example, let’s say I wanted to do a 14-hour intermittent fast. I start by not eating anything after 10 pm one night and will not break my fast until noon the following day. Which practically means that I will live a normal life and miss breakfast the next day. It’s interesting that our breakfast concept is breaking the overnight fast. Because I fasted for 14 hours, that leaves 10 hours until I fast again.  Sometimes referred to as 14/10. This is probably the simplest fast. Missing one meal. And breakfast is an easy one to miss. Drink a little coffee, and you’re home free.

Baby Step Fasting

Here are 3 easy ways to do it in a single day and then a challenge. But note the people around you are the challenge of keeping it a secret. So, plan your meals (or lack thereof) around your ability to eat (or not eat) by yourself.

• One-meal fasting– breakfast is an easy start
• Two-meal fasting– breakfast and lunch
• Three-meal fasting– breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Multiday. This is a stretcher and should be approached with a little planning. I have listed some resources from Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, who wrote on extended prayer and fasting.

Bill Bright Prayer and Fasting Resources

• The Coming Revival
• The Transforming Power of Fasting and Prayer
• 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer
• Your Personal Guide to Fasting and Prayer

Wrap Up

I know this article was long, so if you are reading, you are either a good skimmer or a patient reader. I am challenged personally about the idea that Jesus expects us to enjoy the benefits of fasting and yet our Christian subcultures (mine at least) don’t teach or emphasize it. I am in my early sixties and just now trying to figure it out. Maybe it’s time for you to figure it out too. This concludes our “When You” mini-series. Check out the others on this platform.

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