# What does the Bible say about fasting? > What the Bible says about fasting — going without to seek God in prayer and repentance, Jesus’ warning against doing it for show, and wise health limits. Source: https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/fasting By Andrew Kittridge, Founder of Lumin · September 6, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026 Verses are chosen for the question being asked. Scripture on this site is quoted from the Lumin Translation, the same text as the public reader and the iPhone Bible tab: Lumin’s own translation, drafted with AI from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, checked verse by verse against them, and approved by Lumin. Glosses in answers are original summaries, not a second Bible. Open the named passage; AI is not the interpreter. [How we cite Scripture](https://www.lumin.faith/about#how-we-cite) In the Bible, fasting means going without food for a time to seek God — in prayer, repentance, grief, or a hard decision. It is a spiritual practice, not a diet protocol, and never a contest. Jesus assumes his followers will fast, and he warns them not to do it for show. Isaiah goes further: the fast God wants includes freeing the oppressed and sharing bread with the hungry. - [Make room to pray](https://www.lumin.faith/pray.md) - [Ask with Scripture you can open](https://www.lumin.faith/ask.md) - [Read the chapter with Bible Coach](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-coach.md) - [The Lumin Covenant](https://www.lumin.faith/trust.md) ## Bible verses about fasting - **[Matthew 6:16-18](https://www.lumin.faith/read/matthew/6#16)** — When you fast, do not look miserable for an audience; your Father who sees in secret will reward you. - **[Matthew 4:1-2](https://www.lumin.faith/read/matthew/4#1)** — Jesus fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness, grew hungry, and was tempted. - **[Isaiah 58:3-7](https://www.lumin.faith/read/isaiah/58#3)** — The fast God chooses looses bonds of wickedness and shares bread with the hungry, not empty ritual. - **[Joel 2:12-13](https://www.lumin.faith/read/joel/2#12)** — Return to God with all your heart, with fasting; rend your hearts, not your garments. - **[Nehemiah 1:4](https://www.lumin.faith/read/nehemiah/1#4)** — Nehemiah weeps, mourns, fasts, and prays over Jerusalem. - **[Matthew 9:14-15](https://www.lumin.faith/read/matthew/9#14)** — When the bridegroom is taken away, then they will fast. - **[Acts 13:2-3](https://www.lumin.faith/read/acts/13#2)** — The church worships and fasts; the Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul; they fast and pray, then send them. - **[Zechariah 7:5-6](https://www.lumin.faith/read/zechariah/7#5)** — Were your fasts for me — or for yourselves? Motive matters more than the calendar. ## Highlighted verse > But you, when you fast, rub oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting is noticed not by people but by your Father, who is present in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you. > > — Matthew 6:17-18 (Lumin Translation) ## Reflection Fasting shows up at the turning points of Scripture. Nehemiah fasts when he hears Jerusalem lies in ruins. Esther fasts before risking her life. Nineveh fasts in repentance. Anna fasts and prays in the temple for decades. The early church fasts before sending out Barnabas and Saul. The common thread is humility: people emptying their hands before God because they need him more than food. Fasting is never a way to earn an answer. Scripture sets no required schedule for Christians, and it offers no forty-day challenge to copy — the fasts of Moses and Jesus were singular moments, not templates. Wisdom sets limits, too. If you are pregnant, diabetic, recovering from an eating disorder, or otherwise at medical risk, talk to a doctor before fasting from food, or set aside something other than food. However you fast, keep it quiet, pair it with prayer, and let it make you more generous. ## One next step Read Matthew 6:16-18 and Isaiah 58:3-7. If a simple fast is wise for you, keep it private and pair each skipped meal with prayer — and with generosity to someone in need. ## FAQ ### What is a key Bible verse about fasting? Matthew 6:16-18: when you fast, do not perform it for an audience; your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Isaiah 58:3-7 describes a fast God chooses — justice and bread for the hungry, not empty ritual. Joel 2:12 joins fasting to returning with the whole heart. ### How should Christians fast? Quietly, joined to prayer and repentance, with the wisdom of your church, and never as a diet or a contest. Jesus assumes his followers will fast but sets no required calendar. If fasting from food could harm your health, talk to a doctor first or fast from something else. ### Is fasting in the Bible a weight-loss plan? No. Biblical fasting is humility before God, often in mourning, repentance, or commissioning. It is not a calorie plan, a forty-day challenge copied from Moses or Jesus, or a reason to judge people who do not fast. ## Related questions - [What does the Bible say about prayer?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/prayer.md) - [What does the Bible say about humility?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/humility.md) - [What does the Bible say about church?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/church.md) ## Related guides - [Make room to pray](https://www.lumin.faith/pray.md) - [Ask with Scripture you can open](https://www.lumin.faith/ask.md) - [Read the chapter with Bible Coach](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-coach.md) - [The Lumin Covenant](https://www.lumin.faith/trust.md) --- Ask, Bible Coach, Pray, and Sermon Week are the four jobs in Lumin. The app is for iPhone and iPad. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lumin-bible-ai-companion/id6754889412 Ask on the web: https://www.lumin.faith/app Browse answers: https://www.lumin.faith/answers.md