While reading the prophet Jeremiah, Daniel came across a very important detail. The exile of his people was about to come to an end.

In response, this is what he did: “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).

This is a picture of Daniel throwing himself at God’s feet one hundred and ten percent.

We are told that he prays. He also puts on “sackcloth and ashes,” which was a way of humbling himself before God in abject desperation.

But he also fasts. 

Fasting is depriving the body of food for a certain period of time for a greater spiritual purpose. It is a small self-sacrifice for something greater. Fasting was practiced not only by Daniel, but by Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Anna, Paul and, of course, Jesus.

But what good does it do?

When I was in high school, our family had a Mazda 626 car. There was a ‘turbo boost’ button on the dashboard. I know, it’s not really something you’d expect in a Mazda, but there it was. It was supposed to feed gas to the engine more quickly. 

I say this because fasting is like turbo-boosting your prayers. Fasting has other benefits too, but today’s focus is on how it intensifies your prayers before God. Daniel prayed for God to show mercy to his people (verse 3), and his fasting intensified that plea.

Today, fasting has fallen out of favour. We associate it with monks or people who seem “extreme.” But is that fair? In times gone by, the people of God would have quite naturally fasted as a way to intensify their prayers before God. Why are we so reluctant?

I’m not telling you what to do. I’m simply highlighting something that used to be very normal and powerful as a spiritual practice. 

If this is new to you, it doesn’t need to be dramatic. What if you started by skipping a meal or two (as long as you’re healthy enough to do so), and spent the extra time in prayer?

(If you’re interested in knowing more about fasting, click on the link below for an article I wrote for ministry leaders on the subject.)

Let me leave you with this: Do you have a big decision to make? Do you need to discern something important? Do you need added wisdom from God? Perhaps this is something you might want to look into.

Among other things, fasting strengthens spiritual muscle, discernment and focus—qualities which are ever-needful in a dizzying and distracting world.

Notes:

-“Fasting: Spiritual muscles for leaders at war.” Living in Truth. Click here.

-“God’s unbroken promises in a broken world (Daniel 9)” Click here. Sermon.

-“Not because of our track record, but yours—a prayer.” Click here, or find it on ‘The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan’ (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.)

-Bible quotes are from the ESV.