VERSES ABOUT FASTING

Fasting helps me grow closer to God and strengthens my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I try not to see it as something I do for my own benefit, but as a way to improve my walk with God. It's a voluntary choice, a time when I set aside the physical need for food to nourish my spirit. It's a special time to seek God's presence, which is why I find it helpful to fast in a quiet place where I can talk with Him alone.

The Bible talks about this too. Daniel 9:3¹ says, "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." It's really inspiring to see how people in the Bible sought God through fasting.

But whanne ye fasten, nyle ye be maad as ypocritis sorewful, for thei defacen hem silf, to seme fastyng to men; treuli Y seie to you, they han resseyued her meede.But whanne thou fastist, anoynte thin heed, and waische thi face,that thou be not seen fastynge to men, but to thi fadir that is in hidlis, and thi fadir that seeth in priuey, shal yelde to thee.

And whanne he hadde fastid fourti daies and fourti nyytis, aftirward he hungride.

And whanne thei mynystriden to the Lord, and fastiden, the Hooli Goost seide to hem, Departe ye to me Saul and Barnabas, in to the werk to which Y haue takun hem.Thanne thei fastiden, and preieden, and leiden hondis on hem, and leten hem go.

And Jhesus ful of the Hooli Goost turnede ayen fro Jordan, and was led bi the spirit into desert fourti daies,and was temptid of the deuel, and eet nothing in tho daies; and whanne tho daies weren endid, he hungride.

And thei passiden Persidie, and camen to Pamfilie;

Thanne the disciplis of Joon camen to hym, and seiden, Whi we and Farisees fasten ofte, but thi disciplis fasten not?And Jhesus seide to hem, Whether the sones of the spouse moun morne, as long as the spouse is with hem? But daies schulen come, whanne the spouse schal be takun a wei fro hem, and thanne thei schulen faste.

Nyle ye defraude eche to othere, but perauenture of consent to a tyme, that ye yyue tent to preier; and eft turne ye ayen to the same thing, lest Sathanas tempte you for youre vncontynence.

And whilis thei weren abidynge togidere in Galilee, Jhesus seide to hem, Mannus sone schal be bitraied in to the hondis of men;

And Cornelie seide, To dai foure daies in to this our, Y was preiynge and fastynge in the nynthe our in myn hous. And lo! a man stood bifore me in a whijt cloth, and seide,Cornelie, thi preier is herd, and thin almesdedis ben in mynde in the siyt of God.

that thou be not seen fastynge to men, but to thi fadir that is in hidlis, and thi fadir that seeth in priuey, shal yelde to thee.

but Y chastise my bodi, and bryng it in to seruage; lest perauenture whanne Y preche to othere, Y my silf be maad repreuable.

And whanne thei mynystriden to the Lord, and fastiden, the Hooli Goost seide to hem, Departe ye to me Saul and Barnabas, in to the werk to which Y haue takun hem.

And this was a widewe to foure scoor yeer and foure; and sche departide not fro the temple, but seruyde to God nyyt and dai in fastyngis and preieris.

But daies schulen come, whanne the spouse schal be takun a wei fro hem, and thanne thei schulen faste in tho daies.

Thanne Jhesus was led of a spirit in to desert, to be temptid of the feend.And whanne he hadde fastid fourti daies and fourti nyytis, aftirward he hungride.And the tempter cam nyy, and seide to hym, If thou art Goddis sone, seie that thes stoones be maad looues.Which answeride, and seide to hym, It is writun, Not oonli in breed luyeth man, but in ech word that cometh of Goddis mouth.

And whanne the dai was come, Poul preiede alle men to take mete, and seide, The fourtenthe dai this dai ye `abiden, and dwellen fastinge, and taken no thing.Wherfor Y preie you to take mete, for youre helthe; for of noon of you the heer of the heed schal perische.

And Jhesus seide to hem, Whether the sones of the spouse moun morne, as long as the spouse is with hem? But daies schulen come, whanne the spouse schal be takun a wei fro hem, and thanne thei schulen faste.

in many wakyngis, in hungur, in thirst, in many fastyngis, in coold and nakidnesse.

And he was thre daies not seynge; `and he eete not, nether drank.

But whanne ye fasten, nyle ye be maad as ypocritis sorewful, for thei defacen hem silf, to seme fastyng to men; treuli Y seie to you, they han resseyued her meede.

Y faste twies in the woke, Y yyue tithis of alle thingis that Y haue in possessioun.

Thanne the disciplis of Joon camen to hym, and seiden, Whi we and Farisees fasten ofte, but thi disciplis fasten not?And Jhesus seide to hem, Whether the sones of the spouse moun morne, as long as the spouse is with hem? But daies schulen come, whanne the spouse schal be takun a wei fro hem, and thanne thei schulen faste.And no man putteth a clout of buystous clothe in to an elde clothing; for it doith awey the fulnesse of the cloth, and a wers breking is maad.Nethir men putten newe wyne in to elde botelis, ellis the botels ben to-broke, and distried, and the wyn sched out. But men putten newe wyne in to newe botels, and bothe ben kept.

And Cornelie seide, To dai foure daies in to this our, Y was preiynge and fastynge in the nynthe our in myn hous. And lo! a man stood bifore me in a whijt cloth, and seide,

Thanne Jhesus was led of a spirit in to desert, to be temptid of the feend.And whanne he hadde fastid fourti daies and fourti nyytis, aftirward he hungride.And the tempter cam nyy, and seide to hym, If thou art Goddis sone, seie that thes stoones be maad looues.Which answeride, and seide to hym, It is writun, Not oonli in breed luyeth man, but in ech word that cometh of Goddis mouth.Thanne the feend took hym in to the hooli citee, and settide hym on the pynacle of the temple,and seide to hym, If thou art Goddis sone, sende thee adoun; for it is writun, That to hise aungels he comaundide of thee, and thei schulen take thee in hondis, lest perauenture thou hirte thi foot at a stoon.Eftsoone Jhesus seide to hym, It is writun, Thou shalt not tempte thi Lord God.Eftsoone the feend took hym in to a ful hiy hil, and schewide to hym alle the rewmes of the world, and the ioye of hem;and seide to hym, Alle these `Y schal yyue to thee, if thou falle doun and worschipe me.Thanne Jhesus seide to hym, Goo, Sathanas; for it is writun, Thou schalt worschipe thi Lord God, and to hym aloone thou shalt serue.Thanne the feend lafte hym; and lo! aungels camen nyy, and serueden to hym.

And thei seiden to hym, Whi the disciplis of Joon fasten ofte, and maken preieris, also and of Farisees, but thine eten and drynken?To whiche he seide, Whether ye moun make the sones of the spouse to faste, while the spouse is with hem?But daies schulen come, whanne the spouse schal be takun a wei fro hem, and thanne thei schulen faste in tho daies.

But whanne thou schalt preye, entre in to thi couche, and whanne the dore is schet, preye thi fadir in hidils, and thi fadir that seeth in hidils, schal yelde to thee.

And Anna was a prophetesse, the douytir of Fanuel, of the lynage of Aser. And sche hadde goon forth in many daies, and hadde lyued with hir hosebonde seuene yeer fro hir maydynhode.And this was a widewe to foure scoor yeer and foure; and sche departide not fro the temple, but seruyde to God nyyt and dai in fastyngis and preieris.

And profetis and doctouris weren in the chirche that was at Antioche, in which Barnabas, and Symount, that was clepid Blac, and Lucius Cironense, and Manaen, that was the soukynge fere of Eroude tetrarke, and Saul weren.And whanne thei mynystriden to the Lord, and fastiden, the Hooli Goost seide to hem, Departe ye to me Saul and Barnabas, in to the werk to which Y haue takun hem.Thanne thei fastiden, and preieden, and leiden hondis on hem, and leten hem go.

And whanne he hadde fastid fourti daies and fourti nyytis, aftirward he hungride.And the tempter cam nyy, and seide to hym, If thou art Goddis sone, seie that thes stoones be maad looues.Which answeride, and seide to hym, It is writun, Not oonli in breed luyeth man, but in ech word that cometh of Goddis mouth.

and was temptid of the deuel, and eet nothing in tho daies; and whanne tho daies weren endid, he hungride.

But whanne thou fastist, anoynte thin heed, and waische thi face,

And anoon as the scalis felden fro hise iyen, he resseyuede siyt. And he roos, and was baptisid.And whanne he hadde takun mete, he was coumfortid. And he was bi sum daies with the disciplis, that weren at Damask.

Ech man that stryueth in fiyt, absteyneth hym fro alle thingis; and thei, that thei take a corruptible coroun, but we an vncorrupt.Therfor Y renne so, not as `in to vncerteyn thing; thus Y fiyte, not as betynge the eir;but Y chastise my bodi, and bryng it in to seruage; lest perauenture whanne Y preche to othere, Y my silf be maad repreuable.

And thei seiden to hym, Whi the disciplis of Joon fasten ofte, and maken preieris, also and of Farisees, but thine eten and drynken?

Prayer