Have you heard the saying, “Fasting is praying twice”? When I was a new believer, there was a situation that I had prayed about many times without any change. I decided to fast for one day from solid food and drink only water and a little juice. My heart reflected on the words in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “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 forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

That day, I searched the scriptures for examples of fasting. I discovered that in times of national crises and moral collapse, the people of God, often in desperation, called for a fast to change their dire circumstances. Sometimes, they fasted as a sign of earnest seeking to hear from God, a turning of their whole hearts to him. Prayer and fasting have changed the course of history for God’s people, and they still change history today.

Here are some examples from Scripture that encouraged and instructed me that day as I stepped into my first attempted fast.

Joel & Isaiah

In the prophet Joel, I read: “Even now, declares the LORD, return to me with all your heart with fasting and weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12). In Isaiah 58:6-12, I learned about God’s “chosen fast,” which called for more than just abstaining from food but linked an attitude of service to others as well.

Daniel

Daniel, the prophet, read the verses Jeremiah had written almost a century before, predicting that the Jewish people’s exile in Babylon would last seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11).  Daniel’s response? “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed . . . and confessed” (Daniel 9: 34).

Ezra

God raised a pagan king, Cyrus, to release the children of Israel to return to their land (Ezra 1:1). Ezra, a priest, was anointed to lead about 50,000 people and to the hard task of rebuilding the ruins of homes and the Temple which had been destroyed in Israel. As the remnant prepared to return, Ezra reported, “I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children . . . So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer” (Ezra 8:21, 23).

Nehemiah

Back in Susa, Nehemiah, cupbearer to the king, got word that “The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”  Nehemiah wept, and “For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:3, 4).  After several months of prayer and fasting, God opened a door for the king to ask Nehemiah what was troubling him. Nehemiah had the courage to tell the king his deep burden and desire to see that the walls and gates of Jerusalem would be rebuilt. By God’s grace, the king not only gave permission for Nehemiah to leave but supplied him with safe conduct and timber to rebuild as well! God gives more than we can think or ask.

Esther

At the same time as Nehemiah, Queen Esther had learned of the wicked plot of Haman to kill all of the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom. Her response: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do . . . then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish”  (Esther 4:16). God answered Esther’s prayer, and the Jews survived. The family line leading to the Messiah was preserved.

Jesus

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “When you fast . . . Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18). That word “reward” is often associated with the success of your endeavor. The seed you sowed and the request you made have succeeded in their purpose. In other words, God will answer your prayer. Jesus himself launched his world-changing ministry career with a forty-day fast in the wilderness, where he defeated the tempter and moved forward in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

Fasting has the supernatural power to move things in heaven and earth. After my one-day fast, God provided a breakthrough in my personal situation. As we seek the Lord together during this week of prayer and fasting, I want to encourage you that prayer and fasting have changed the course of history for God’s people and that they still change history today.

Tags: prayer, fasting, fast, requests, breakthrough, spiritual power, god, crisis, scriptures, food, answered prayer, spiritual hunger, bible, petition