“Even now”, declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting”
Joel 2:12
As a church, we are starting the new year by taking part in 21 days of prayer and fasting, from the 7th-28th January.
Fasting is a Biblical practice that usually involves restricting the amount or type of food that we eat. Examples of fasting can be seen in the lives of Daniel, Esther, King David, the early church, and Jesus. Fasting is often linked to a focused time of prayer and seeking God. In the Bible and throughout church history, prayer and fasting often precede miracles, breakthroughs, and God’s work in the lives of individuals and communities. By denying ourselves, fasting causes us to depend more on God and less on ourselves and can increase our spiritual awareness.
Due to age or medical reasons, some people may be limited in the kind of fast they can do but there are many different kinds of fasts to choose from. No fast is better than another, your fast is between you and God, and you should choose the fast that is right for you.
Here are a few ideas:
- Fast one meal a day.
- Fast until the evening meal.
- Fast daylight hours.
- Fast certain foods such as sweets, dairy, bread, or meat etc.
- Fast coffee, alcohol, or other luxury foods.
- Do a ‘Daniel’ fast. Daniel only ate vegetables and whole grains.
- As well as fasting we want to focus this time on God by increasing time spent reading the Bible and in prayer.