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Prayer and Fasting

Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.’ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.’ (Matthew 17:15-21 NKJV)

Fasting is not confined to abstinence from eating and drinking. Fasting really means voluntary abstinence for a time from various necessities of life, such as food, sleep, rest, association with people, and so forth. . . We resort to fasting in order to set our distracted and worldly-minded souls free for a time from material things, and the distractions of our environment, and thus give the Spirit and opportunity to search the things which are grieving the Spirit of prayer, in order thus to re-establish unhindered communication with the Spirit of prayer and a greater influx of divine power—O Hallesby, Prayer, 1994.

Like with most spiritual disciplines, there are always abuses and misunderstandings. Fasting is one area prone to such abuses. Fasting is often treated as a tool to force God’s hand. Like the prophets of Baal who cut themselves before their false god, Christians sometimes think asceticism will cause God to become more attentive.

However, as Hallseby accurately stated above, fasting is for us, not God. We must fast sometimes because it is the only way to be free from our distractions long enough to concentrate on our relationship with God.

How many times have you gone to God in prayer and found it impossible to sustain a focused thought? Our minds often flitter and float from one distraction to another. It’s like trying to work in a cluttered office; after a while, the clutter becomes so bad you can’t work. Fasting helps to clear the clutter of our minds. So, do not fall into the trap of charismatic or legalistic fasting. That kind of fast will not cause God to hear you.

‘Why have we fasted,’ [they say], ‘and You have not seen? [Why] have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as [you do] this day, To make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? [Is it] to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?

[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 58:3-6 NKJV).

God is not interested in us afflicting our souls to earn His approval. He is interested in our holiness, repentance, and devotion. The fast God desires of us is one which will loose the bonds of wickedness, undo heavy burdens, and break every yoke.

Therefore, if you find yourself unable to pray as you should, it might be a good idea to fast. Again, the goal of your fast is to clear the clutter.

Once the clutter is removed, God will hear you and expose even more areas of sin to your heart. The lines of communication will be stronger and the manifest presence of the Lord will be greater to you. Your joy will increase, and soon even mountains will seem movable.

My dear friends, the days are evil, and we need to pray. Do what you must to clear the way for your communication with God. Prayer has always been associated with great revivals, and if you want to see revival, it must begin in your heart first.