Fasting: A Christian Guide to Unlocking Spiritual Breakthroughs

This brief teaching was given as part of the Saint Dominique team in Rwanda, under the spiritual journey "Live Your Calling."

As Christians, we are often called to deepen our relationship with God through spiritual practices such as fasting. This discipline, practiced throughout biblical history and encouraged by the Catholic Church, helps us seek divine intervention during moments of challenge or difficult situations. Today, we will explore the essential principles of fasting: its definition, its significance for Christians, when and why to fast, along with some biblical examples and practical advice for fasting effectively.

1. What is Fasting?

As Father Raphael explained yesterday evening, fasting is the privation of food for a spiritual purpose.

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2. Should Christians Fast?

Yes, Christians are expected to fast. Early in His ministry, Jesus said:
"When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly." - Matthew 6:17-18

Biblical thinkers, both Catholic (e.g., Dr. Brant Pitre) and Protestant (e.g., Derek Prince), have noted that Jesus said "when you fast," not "if you fast," demonstrating that He expected fasting to be a regular part of the Christian life. Fasting is not optional but integral to Christian spirituality.

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3. When to Fast?

The Church encourages fasting frequently. Examples include:

• Annual fasts, such as during the Lenten season or special occasions like October 7, 2024, when Pope Francis called all Christians to fast for peace.
• Weekly fasts, particularly on Fridays, as a traditional practice.

According to the Code of Canon Law:

• Can. 1251: "Abstinence from meat or other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday."
• Can. 1252: "The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their 14th year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their 60th year. Pastors and parents should teach even those exempted from fasting the true meaning of penance."

Source: Vatican Code of Canon Law

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4. Why Fast?

We fast to invite divine intervention in challenging situations. Biblical examples include:

• Esther: Fasted 3 days to avert genocide. (Esther 4:16)
• Elijah: Fasted 40 days before encountering God and receiving a mission. (1 Kings 19:8)
• Moses: Fasted 40 days to bring God's directives to Israel. (Exodus 34:28)
• Jesus: Fasted 40 days before His public ministry. (Matthew 4:1-2)
• The Church in Antioch: Fasted before sending St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their mission. (Acts 13:2)
• Daniel: Fasted 21 days for Israel's freedom. (Daniel 10:2-3)

As Ezra testified:
"So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer." - Ezra 8:23

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5. How to Fast?

When fasting, remember these three elements:

1. Attitude: Approach fasting with humility and kindness. Avoid arrogance; be gracious, helpful, and Christlike.
2. Prayer: Use meal times for prayer, Bible reading, and spiritual reflection.
3. Faith: Trust that God will reward your fasting. "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him; for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him." - Hebrews 11:6

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6. How Long Should a Fast Last?

Fasting duration depends on its purpose. In the Bible, we see examples of 40 days, 21 days, and 3 days. For hours, many break their fast at 3 PM, 6 PM, or midnight.

When breaking a fast, eat light meals, as your body needs gradual adjustment.

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7. Types of Fasts

1. Dry Fast: No food or drink.
2. Light Fast: No food but allows water or juices.
3. Partial Fast: Simple foods (e.g., legumes, water) while avoiding delicacies.

For our Friday fasts, a light fast is recommended.

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Note:
Fasting is not a competition. Choose what suits your strength and health, and seek guidance if unsure. Fasting, like prayer, can be learned. Feel free to ask for advice as you grow in this discipline.

Le Jeûne : Guide Chrétien pour Déverrouiller des Percées Spirituelles

Ce bref enseignement a été donné dans le cadre de l'équipe Saint Dominique, Rwanda sous le parcours spirituel "Vis ton Appel". 

En tant que chrétiens, nous sommes souvent appelés à approfondir notre relation avec Dieu à travers des pratiques spirituelles telles que le jeûne. Cette discipline, pratiquée à travers toute l'histoire biblique et encouragée par l'Église Catholique, nous aide à chercher l'intervention divine dans des moments de défis ou de situations difficiles. Aujourd'hui, nous allons explorer les principes essentiels du jeûne : sa définition, son importance pour les chrétiens, quand et pourquoi jeûner, ainsi que quelques exemples bibliques et des conseils pratiques pour bien jeûner.

1. Qu'est-ce que le jeûne ? : Comme le Père Raphael nous l'a enseigné hier soir, le jeûne est une privation de nourriture pour un but spirituel.

2. Les chrétiens devraient-ils jeûner ? : La réponse est oui. Les chrétiens sont appelés à jeûner par le Seigneur Jésus. Au début de Son ministère, Il a dit : "Quand vous jeûnez, oignez votre tête et lavez votre visage, afin de ne pas paraître aux hommes comme jeûnant, mais à votre Père qui est dans le secret ; et votre Père, qui voit dans le secret, vous récompensera ouvertement." - Matthieu 6:17-18. 

Il a été noté par des penseurs bibliques, tant catholiques (par exemple, le Dr Brant Pitre) que protestants (par exemple, Derek Prince), que Jésus n'a pas dit "si vous jeûnez", mais "quand vous jeûnez", montrant qu'il s'attendait à ce que les chrétiens aient de nombreuses occasions de jeûner. Ainsi le jeûne n'est pas optionnel; c'est une partie intégrante de la vie chrétienne.

3. Quand jeûner ? : L'Église invite les chrétiens à jeûner fréquemment. Par exemple, pendant la saison du Carême (c'est le jeûne annuel), ou à des occasions spéciales, comme le lundi 7 octobre 2024, lorsque le Pape François a appelé tous les chrétiens à jeûner pour la paix dans les régions en conflit. Il y a aussi une occasion plus fréquente de jeûner chaque vendredi.

Vous pouvez lire à ce sujet dans le Code de droit canonique de l'Église Catholique :

Can. 1251 : "L'abstinence de viande, ou de certains autres aliments comme déterminé par la Conférence épiscopale, doit être observée tous les vendredis, à moins qu'une solennité ne tombe un vendredi. L'abstinence et le jeûne doivent être observés le Mercredi des Cendres et le Vendredi Saint."

Can. 1252 : "La loi de l'abstinence lie ceux qui ont atteint leur quatorzième année. La loi du jeûne lie ceux qui ont atteint leur majorité, jusqu'au début de leur soixante ans. Les pasteurs et les parents doivent veiller à ce que même ceux qui, en raison de leur âge, ne sont pas soumis à la loi du jeûne et de l'abstinence, soient enseignés sur le vrai sens de la pénitence."

4. Pourquoi jeûner ? : Nous jeûnons lorsque nous avons besoin d'une intervention évidente du ciel dans une situation particulièrement difficile. Par exemple :

- Reine Esther : Elle jeûna pendant 3 jours pour éviter le génocide contre son peuple, les Juifs. (Esther 4:16) : "Va, rassemble tous les Juifs qui se trouvent à Suse, et jeûne pour moi ; ne mange ni ne bois pendant trois jours, nuit et jour. Moi aussi, je jeûnerai de même avec mes jeunes filles."

- Élie : Il jeûna pendant 40 jours avant de rencontrer Dieu et de recevoir une nouvelle mission, notamment celle de choisir un autre prophète pour lui succéder, Élisée. (1 Rois 19:8) : "Il se leva, mangea et but, et, dans la force de cette nourriture, il marcha quarante jours et quarante nuits jusqu'à Horeb, la montagne de Dieu."

- Moïse : Il jeûna pendant 40 jours avant d'apporter la directive de Dieu à une nation nouvellement formée et indisciplinée. (Exode 34:28) : "Il fut là avec le Seigneur quarante jours et quarante nuits ; il ne mangea pas de pain et ne but pas d'eau."

- The Lord Jésus : Le Seigneur jeûna pendant 40 jours avant de commencer Son ministère public devant un public hostile qui finirait par Le tuer 3 ans plus tard. (Matthieu 4:1-2) : "Alors Jésus fut emmené par l'Esprit dans le désert pour être tenté par le diable. Après avoir jeûné quarante jours et quarante nuits, il eut faim."

- L'Église à Antioche : Ils jeûnerent pour que de nouveaux ministères de grâce naissent afin d'avancer le Royaume de Dieu sur terre, et Saint Paul et Saint Barnabas reçurent leur appel apostolique après cela. (Actes 13:2) : "Pendant qu'ils adoraient le Seigneur et jeûnaient, le Saint-Esprit dit : 'Mettez à part pour moi Barnabas et Saul pour l'œuvre à laquelle je les ai appelés.'"

- Daniel : Il jeûna pendant 21 jours en priant pour la liberté d'Israël de la captivité babylonienne. (Daniel 10:2-3) : "En ces jours-là, moi, Daniel, je pleurais pendant trois semaines. Je ne mangeais pas de mets délicats, je n'ai pas mangé de viande ni de vin, et je ne me suis pas oint la peau jusqu'à la fin des trois semaines."

En d'autres termes, lorsque nous avons besoin de voir l'intervention miraculeuse de Dieu ou Sa providence dans notre situation difficile, ajouter le jeûne à nos prières peut être recommandé. Voyez le témoignage d'Esdras :

"J'avais honte de demander au roi des soldats et des cavaliers pour nous protéger des ennemis sur le chemin, parce que nous avions dit au roi : 'La main bienveillante de notre Dieu est sur tous ceux qui se tournent vers Lui, mais Sa grande colère est contre tous ceux qui L'abandonnent.' Nous avons donc jeûné et prié notre Dieu à ce sujet, et Il a exaucé notre prière." - Esdras 8:22-23

5. Comment jeûner ? : Lorsque vous jeûnez, rappelez-vous de ces 3 points : Attitude, Prière et Foi.

a. Attitude : Dieu est attiré par l'humilité et résiste à l'arrogance. Pour que votre jeûne soit accepté par le Seigneur, montrez des actes d'humilité envers les autres (soyez aimable, gracieux, serviable, etc. - en d'autres termes, soyez chrétien). Votre disposition du cœur sera essentielle à votre jeûne réussi.

b. Prière : Pendant votre jeûne, associez-le à des prières fréquentes, surtout pendant vos heures de repas habituelles. Puisque vous ne mangerez pas, ou du moins pas beaucoup, consacre ce temps à la prière, à la lecture de la Bible, etc.

c. Foi : Soyez dans l'attente de voir le Seigneur intervenir en votre faveur. Rappelez-vous qu'il y a une récompense pour ceux qui jeûnent, comme Jésus nous l'a dit (voir ci-dessus Matthieu 6:17-18). La récompense est que le Père qui voit dans le secret interviendra ouvertement en votre faveur. N'oubliez pas également l'exhortation de l'Épître aux Hébreux :

"Mais sans la foi, il est impossible de lui plaire ; car celui qui s'approche de Dieu doit croire qu'il existe et qu' il récompense ceux qui le cherchent." - Hébreux 11:6

6. Combien de temps un jeûne doit-il durer ? : Cela dépend de l'objectif du jeûne. Dans la Bible, différents personnages ont jeûné pendant des durées différentes : 40, 21 et 3 jours. Quant aux heures, différentes personnes rompent leur jeûne à différentes heures, de 15h à 18h jusqu'à minuit.

Rappelez-vous que vous devez rompre votre jeûne lentement en mangeant un repas léger, tout comme le matin. Il y a une raison pour laquelle le repas du matin s'appelle "petit-déjeuner" ; c'est parce que votre corps a jeûné toute la nuit, et vous le rompez avec de la nourriture légère. Eh bien, gardez la même logique, car vous pourriez avoir prolongé ce jeûne un peu plus longtemps pendant votre état éveillé. Mangez léger, même si vous avez très faim.

Il existe 3 types de jeûnes, pour des raisons dd conviniences je vais les appellé :

1. Jeûne sec, qui supprime toute nourriture ou boisson ;

2. Jeûne léger, qui supprime seulement la nourriture mais conserve les boissons (eau, jus) pour rester hydraté ;

3. Jeûne partiel, qui permet des aliments légers et des boissons simples, comme des légumineuses et de l'eau, mais qui supprime les aliments et boissons attrayants comme la viande et d'autres délices. Cela est généralement pratiqué par ceux qui entreprennent des jeûnes plus longs ou lorsque quelqu'un a des problèmes de santé mais souhaite s'engager dans une période de jeûne.

Note: Pour nos jeûne de vendredi, je voudrais vous recommender si vous le permettez, le jeûne léger.

Note importante : N'oubliez pas que le jeûne n'est pas une compétition. Cela n'a jamais été et ne le sera jamais. Vous jeûnez selon votre force tout en faisant preuve de bon jugement. Si vous avez des questions sur la meilleure façon de le pratiquer, demandez à ceux qui sont expérimentés et peuvent vous donner des conseils tout au long du processus. Le jeûne, comme la prière, peut être appris. N'hésitez pas à poser des questions en cours de route.

FASTING from a possible Historical perspective

I read a piece of historical treatise about fasting, and it was the first that i have ever read and i loved it so so much. I really hope to get some day other books that speak of fasting from an historical perspective. I recommend this link.

In Princeton Seminary's 1810 charter, "The Plan of a Theological Seminary," Article 5, Section 1, "It is also wished and recommended, that each student should ordinarily set apart one day in a month for special prayer and self-examination in secret, accompanied with fasting."

I will briefly give some names on the Catholic and the Protestant side who have been practicing in their own way the discipline of fasting. This is just to encourage those of us who are either Christian Catholic or Protestant that this issue of fasting is part of the whole christian community and history. So don't miss in the privilege to be part of history. lol

Catholics:

1. Antony (ca. 251-356), Athanasius' classic depiction of Antony shows him eating bread and salt, with water, once a day in the evenings, and frequently foregoing these. Fasting, combined with prayer, was seen as a means of thwarting demonic temptations.

2. John Chrysostom and Ephrem the Syrian (4^th century), Diadokos of Photiki and Mark the Hermit (5^th century), and John Climacus (6^th century). With Ephrem (ca. 306-373) who wrote at least ten hymns on fasting that were featured in the liturgical year. Hymn 1 features Jesus defeating Satan in the desert. Hymn 4.11 Moses and Elijah as forerunners of Christ experiencing the same fasting duration and supernatural power. Hymns 7-9 refer to the exemplary biblical fasts of Esther, the Ninevites, Daniel and his three friends. In addition to the negative example of Adam and Eve, the hypocritical fast of Ahab and Jezebel against Naboth is recalled in Hymn 3. For Ephrem, the many good uses of fasting were ultimately transcended by the purification it fosters that allows a clearer vision of God: "Beau et utile est le jeûne pour celui qui se purifie afin de contempler Dieu."
3. John Cassian's (ca. 360-ca. 435), Maximus the Confessor (7^th century), Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Paul of Thebes etc.

Monks were to fast until the ninth hour on Wednesdays and Fridays from Pentecost through the summer. The ninth hour is our current 3 P.M (15h00) making the first hour being at 6 A.M in the morning.

Protestants:

1.Martin Luther (1483-1546) was the protestant reformer who started the Lutheran church.
2.John Calvin (1509-1564), known also because of his theological works and the often debated Calvinism doctrine on election and predestination.
3.Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), John Knox (1514-1572), Chaplain Thomas Becon (Anglican), John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of the Methodists etc.

These people also kept their fasting time usually up to 3 P.M (the ninth hour) too on occasion.

People all over the world have been fasting using different durations and have been limiting their food intakes upon different things. Some only ate and still eat snacks instead of food, other take legume, fruits and Juice, etc.  while other just go for an absolute fast with no food intake and some time with no water intake (though this last one (lack of water) is not recommended for a longer period of time.

The most important thing during a fast is to have a reason for depriving yourself of food. Fasting in itself is not intrinsically spiritually good, it becomes good as it gets practiced along a noble cause. Remember the hymn of Ephrem above among the catholic list i gave you, even queen Jezebel made a sort of a fasting vow in order to take by force Naboth possession. Even some Jew seemed to have made a fasting vow to kill St. Paul the apostle (Act 23:14).  Derek Prince once told the story of a woman he met in a flight who politely refused all foods brought to her bu the flight attendant hostess. At Derek inquiry, she answered that she was not a Christian, but she was a Satanist. After he asked the reason of the fast, she said that she was fasting so that Christian marriages may end in divorce. I read that at the close of the 90's (end of the 20th Century). I suspect that, if she is still alive and unrepentant, given the current statistics about Christian marriages that end in divorce, she might feel very encouraged to keep fasting.

So the usefulness of a fast goes hand to hand with the prompting of the Spirit in you and the way you are spiritually predisposed in doing it. As seen in Isaiah 58, the true fast has in it the element of spiritual* and moral virtue entangle in it.

Some people fast the whole day until the Sun sets. other do that up to 3 P.M, while other goes up to Midnight (12 A.M) before they break their fast. Some takes only a morning Break-Fast and then eat nothing up to the next morning. The methods varies so much and i am sure that they are other means of depriving oneself of solid foods for a spiritual reason with different timing that i haven't heard yet.

Remember all that fasting is not a competition of who can resist hunger better and who can fast longer. Rev. Kenneth Haggin mentioned once in one of his books that he never faster  more than 3 days and i do not know of any one who has fasted more than a week and who has reported more supernatural manifestation in their lives or ministry as the one reported in Kenneth Haggin ministry. This is just to say that, it is not a competition. It is about searching for God for specific petitions or else. If you have your answer after a day by God grace, that is good! If you have to go to 21 or 40 days to get your answer(s) then tough luck. But all it is, it's that you have to look for God and receiving what He has for you and not if you can outperform others by lasting longer. Answer is the reason, the only reason that matter!

Have great day and remaining week in Jesus' name.

Fasting: There is a reward!

In the book of Mathew chapter 6, Jesus spoke of three spiritual practices for His followers, and one of them is fasting. He pointed two things that should be in one's mind when fasting. Number one, that there is a right attitude to have, and second that there is a reward to be obtained!

Mathew 6:17-18 - "when you fastest, anoint your head, and wash your face; That you appear not unto men to fast, but unto your Father which is in secret: and your Father, which sees in secret, shall reward you openly."

Yes, there is a reward! And Jesus want us to know that. We sometime feel strangely weird to expect God to reward us as we diligently look for Him, we abhor that idea as being a non spiritual attitude. But why? Jesus never saw that connection of rewarding someone for spiritual travail as something bad. Nor did the author of Hebrew. If you believe; You will see. If you don't see, you may confidently revisit the basis of your particular belief; because something is certainly not working properly somewhere. I suspect the reason i have no difficulty with the reward thing, it is because i look at Christianity as a religion that makes promises and which in turn give a way to verify those promises through results.

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrew 11:6

This is even one of the reason, i believe, why Jesus insisted that people who fast may not do that so that they may impress men. 0ne of the possible reason is because men will not reward your fasting or answer your prayers. It is Him, the father, who is in the secret who will do that. Hence, He is the person you may want to impress (please) in your fast and prayers, not men! And faith is the way that i know that you may impress (please) God. For as the verse above says, "without faith it is impossible to please him". And what does faith do? It expects an answer. It trust that the one your are looking for through this diligent spiritual practices such as fasting will listen and reward your quest.

In 2002, when i started to relearn how to fast biblically (mainly through the tutoring of Derek Prince), I learned that there were things among others that i should expect as I fasted. So I used to ask God to honor His word by rewarding me with the blessings found in the great chapter of fasting found in Isaiah chapter 58. I used to claim these blessings: early breakthrough; prompt health; expressive righteousness; the glory of God in my life; frequent and prompt answered prayers; to be a blessing to many generations; to be a restorer; and be a light to those around me. So i took the habit to claim them when i ended my regular fasting day.

What i usually did, i still do that with lesser intensity now (i guess by writing this i am getting more encouraged to go back to that old blessed productive habit), I used to close my fasting day with my Bible opened at that Chapter 58 of Isaiah and pray while reading it. And when that ingenious objection rose up in my mind, telling me that it was a blessing to those of the old testament only, I would turn my Bible pages to 2 Corinthians 1:20 and read that out-loud to myself "For ALL the promises of God in him (Jesus) are yes, and in him [Jesus, it is also] Amen, unto the glory of God by (through) us." 0nce i dealt with that regular mental objection, i kept reminding God of his promises to those who fasted according to His Holy Spirit leadership, and by faith i kept believing that in the name of Jesus, my prayers would be favorably answered. Favorably they were!

Today, as i look back to my fairly recent history, i can just smile as i realize that to many extents i have seen the Lord honor His promises and my prayers by rewarding me quite openly at time of those very things that i have been claiming as my divinely gracious rights. And as i now rejoice for his extravagant grace and feel humbled to have lived the things that i had lived and became what i now am, i am encouraged to look for even, more of those blessed rewarding realities that He, the Father, graciously bestows to us as we approach Him by faith in Jesus' name. I hope you do likewise, if you don't do that already, as you remember that there is a reward attached to the right search of God by faith.

ISAIAH 58: 8 - 12:

"Isaiah 58: 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.

Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Isa 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in."

May God bless your walk with Him in the light of His word, by the Leadership of His Holy Spirit in the name of our blessed savior - namely Jesus, who made God's provision to us available by His obedience to God.

The Value of Fasting

"I was ashamed to ask the King for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, `The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him …'. So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer." - EZRA

Fasting and Praying

When we read the book of Matthew on chapter six, we can't help noticing Jesus expectation on his followers. He spoke about 3 things that his disciples should be doing:

1. Give to the needy, 2. Pray and 3. Fast.

The author Derek Prince points out that each of these recommendation is preceded by the word WHEN not IF. In Matthew 6:2 it is said "So WHEN you give to the needy" not "IF you give to the needy". The same is found for the other two items of this first part of the chapter. Mathew 6:5 "And WHEN you pray …" or Matthew 6:16 "WHEN you fast" and not "IF you fast". This shows that, according to Derek Prince analysis, that these three items in a disciple life are necessities and should be expected. The discipline of fasting is not optional.

In chapter 9 of Matthew we are told of an incident where it was asked of Jesus why His disciples where not fasting when all the others representative religious communities of time were fasting. Here is Jesus answer: "… The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; THEN THEY WILL FAST". Sure enough, after Jesus ascension we are told that disciples had at least one time of fasting in Acts 13 "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers … while they were worshiping the Lord and FASTING, the Holy Spirit said …". In 2 Corinthians 11, St. Paul talked about his many sufferings and privations and in verse 27, he said that he has known hunger and thirst and have OFTEN gone without food. In the French version this last part says he has been subjected to multiple fasting. This could possibly also mean that he willingly did that for the advancement of Christ kingdom.

All I am trying to establish here is that, FASTING is a normal practice for those who walk with God. Some situation according to the bible can not be undone unless prayer is coupled with fasting. The early church was fasting apparently to look for God's direction and it is in that circumstance that Paul and Barnabas received their apostleship for the first time. Before that they were numbered among the teachers and the prophets. This could also serve as directives to some of us who are longing for more of God's revelation of his specific will for our own lives. In the Old Testament we see people fasting for different reason. Queen Esther on the corridor of power in ancient Persian kingdom decided to fast for three days in order to save her people from genocide. Here is someone who understands political power but also knows the limits of that power, so she referred to fasting as the ultimate option. This also can also show that fasting for spiritual reason can be done by everyone, even by Beauty pageant.

Daniels who was also used to political power in ancient Babylonia, referred to mild fasting and prayers on behalf of his people. Here we have a tragic story. God has promised to set the Israelites free of bondage after 70 years of captivity according to the prophecy of Jeremiah. However the time of freedom were passing without any divine intervention. So Daniel had two options, either he could question the legitimacy of the prophecy of Jeremiah (which I guess I would have done, given my theological background that insist that if God says something He will just do it) or he could talk to God in a fasting mode about that, because something was terribly going wrong especially if a trusted prophet like Jeremiah gave a prophecy that was apparently starting to fail. In all these examples, fasting has been a turning point of people and nations destiny. People of old have understood the value of praying and Fasting. The Old Testament even has a whole chapter on fasting and its benefits (Isaiah 58).

There is one in particular that I love so much and I repeat it as often as I can when I fast: "you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins, and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings". I find it an attractive blessing, one that give purpose to the one performing it" (Isaiah 58)

Derek Prince were fasting once a week for his whole life, Martin Luther the protestant reformer were fasting sometime more than once a week. Many stories of those who came before us and who impacted their generations, were people who not only understood the word of God but also were people committed to a life of prayer and fasting.

Have a nice weekend in Jesus' name.