There are many acts of prayer and fasting in the Bible that brought significant results and the manifestation of the Glory of the Lord. Here are a few for consideration.
Deuteronomy 9: Moses did not eat food nor drink water for 40 days when he went up to the mountain to receive the commandments of God. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the idolatry of the people he angrily breaks the tablets of stone. He ascended the mountain once again and fast another 40 days without food and water before receiving the law once more.
Kings 19: In this text, the angel of the LORD came to Elijah and fed him after which he did not eat for forty days and forty nights.
Matthew 4:1.2 Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, in the wilderness.
Daniel 9:3-5: Daniel turned to the Lord in prayer and fasting in sackcloth and ashes when he read the word the Lord had given to Jeremiah the prophet, concerning the desolation of Jerusalem. Daniel pleaded with God to have mercy and God answered!
Nehemiah 1:4: When Nehemiah got word of the plight of the Jews he "sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
Esther 4:16: Mordecai’s request that Esther should speak to the king on behalf of the Jews was a risk to her life for it was very dangerous for her to approach the king without being summoned first. But, Esther called a fast. “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish!”
Jonah 3:5-9: When the Ninevites received the word of God the king proclaimed a fast, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. Glory Hallelujah!! the king of Nineveh exercised radical faith and obedience: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish," and God relented!
Acts 14:23: Here we see that Paul and Barnabas prayed and fast as they appointed elders in the church. It was with prayer and fasting, that they consecrated the elders and committed them to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Luke 2:37: There was the widow lady who stayed in service to the Lord in His Temple and she was committed to God with fasting and prayer, in worship day and night. It was her lifestyle!
Ezra 8:23: As Ezra and the exile Jews were returning to Jerusalem; Ezra boosted to the king of God's favour towards His people. Ezra said, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.”
Ezra knew it was a dangerous journey but he was not about to ask the king for an armed escort instead he stood in faith.
"So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer." Let's boost like Erza of the faithfulness of God towards His people.
As the Ark of the Covenant was returned from captivity, Samuel led God’s people in a fast and prayer of repentance from the sin that allowed the Ark to be captured in the first place.
1 Samuel 7:6 "And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh."
Comments