Fasting is not a last-ditch effort to get through to God. Find out what fasting is.

Jesus expected His disciples to fast. He told them, “‘When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

‘But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you’” (Matt. 6:16-18, NIV).

Notice He said when, not if. Later He defended their abstaining from fasting for a season but indicated that they would resume this discipline after He had died (see Matt. 9:15).

The Nature of Fasting

The literal meaning of the Hebrew word for “fast” is “to cover the mouth.” You may choose to also abstain from other activities during a fast, but a true fast by definition involves abstaining from food.

Food for your physical body sustains it and nourishes it. When we eat food, we literally take the earth and make it part of us.

I am convinced that God designed our bodies to be nourished and fueled in this way so that we would have a picture of true nourishment—the eternal nourishment of our spirits. Jesus made this clear when He told the devil in the wilderness, “‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”’” (Matt. 4:4).

God has represented His Word as food that nourishes our spiritual life in the same way that physical food nourishes our physical life (see Ps. 119:103; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 3:1-3). Just as food strengthens and maintains our bodies, the Word of God nourishes, fuels and strengthens our spirits.

During a fast, you deliberately let go of that which binds you to this physical world—food—in order to receive all your sustenance from the spiritual world. You determine that for a period of time you will deny your physical cravings to focus on your spiritual cravings.

You allow your spiritual hunger to become stronger and more focused. You feed your spirit with the same enthusiasm with which you feed your body. Spiritual hunger takes priority over physical hunger.

Fasting is not a way to influence, impress or manipulate God. It doesn’t prove anything to Him. It doesn’t show Him whether you are serious.

In fact, He knows your heart better than you do. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13).

A fast is not a hunger strike designed to convince God to release what He has, up to now, held back. Fasting is not a last-ditch effort to get through to God. Instead, it is a means of sharpening our spiritual senses so that God can get through to us.

Fasting to Hear God

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read the account of a fast King Jehoshaphat called for this very reason. He had received a report that his enemies were allied against him and were nearly at his borders, intent on making war against Israel. “After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat: ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar’ (that is, En Gedi)” (vv. 1-3).

The report to Jehoshaphat was an accurate description of the situation as it appeared from Earth’s point of view. The men who made the report had given the facts as they saw them.

But Jehoshaphat was not willing to limit himself to Earth’s point of view. He was not satisfied to settle for what he could see. He knew there was more to the picture than the facts that presented themselves.

Dear friend, what situation confronts you today? Do the facts of your situation overwhelm you and cause you fear and anxiety? Do your circumstances look hopeless to you?

Then let the Spirit of the Lord show you the bigger picture—the point of view of heaven. Listen to His voice speaking to you through the story of Jehoshaphat.