The term Fast it refers to the action of abstinence from food and drink, but from the religious and spiritual point of view it is a way of approaching God to exhort his blessings. In this sense it can also represent the deprivation of some taste or delight.
fasting meaning
The etymological origin of the word "fasting" comes from the Latin root "ieiunum," meaning empty. This same Latin root also gives rise to the terms "jejunum" and "breakfast." The former refers to a part of the duodenum located very close to the duodenum, which received this name because it was always found empty during autopsies. The word "breakfast" is composed of the prefix "des," which denotes negation or inversion, plus the word "fasting," referring to ceasing to be empty after a night's fast.
According to this, fasting is the action of an individual abstaining from all or some foods and drinks for a specific period of time. There are different types of fasting, and equally, there are various reasons why people fast. Among the main reasons why people fast are the following:
- As a protest demonstration, in this case it is often called a hunger strike
- For health reasons, in this sense there are many therapies in both classical and traditional medicine that consist of fasting the body.
- As a spiritual means of drawing closer to God. This is generally the reason for religious or spiritual fasting, and it can include not only abstaining from food and drink, but can also entail giving up some taste or pleasure for a specified period of time.
spiritual fast
Spiritual or religious fasting is one that is part of the religious traditions or cultures of human civilizations since ancient times. Proof of this is that the practice of fasting is noted in the following ancient religious texts:
Upanishad: They are the sacred books of Hinduism and the oldest of them date back approximately between 800 and 400 years before Christ.
Mahabharata: One of the most extensive epic-mythological texts of India, which according to historians dates back to the third century BC.
The talmud: It is a comprehensive Jewish civil and religious code that contains rabbinic debates on Jewish law, its traditions, customs, history, etc. This text was written between the third and fifth centuries AD.
The Bible: The sacred book of Christians. The practice of fasting is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments.
The quranIt is the sacred book of Muslims. It is believed that upon the death of the Prophet Muhammad, his followers began collecting his writings in 632 AD, eventually compiling the complete text of 114 chapters.
Depending on the culture, religion, or tradition, the act of fasting can range from abstaining from food and drink to restricting oneself from any taste, delight, or pleasure, including sexual relations. It can also mean avoiding the consumption of animal meat, abstaining from worldly news, or other sacrifice, whether total or for a defined period of time.
Some fasts allow for a light breakfast, often referred to as parvity. This term comes from the Latin parvĭtas, meaning "smallness." Below is a description of what fasting entails in each of the three Abrahamic religions.
The Jewish tradition of fasting
In Judaism, the Jewish New Year is celebrated in Tishrei, the first month of the modern Hebrew year and, according to biblical order, the seventh month. The first month in the Bible is Nisan, in commemoration of the Hebrew people's exodus from Egypt.
Jews celebrate the New Year between the first and second days of Tishrei. Torah law calls this celebration Yom Teruah, and Jewish culture calls it Rosh Hashanah, which in Hebrew means the beginning of the year.
During the New Year celebration, Jews celebrate what is known as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement or Day of Forgiveness. This day holds great significance for this culture, as each person's fate for the coming year is decided after expressing their conscience and repentance.
During Yom Kippur, they perform sacrifices, as well as a series of customs such as: fasting from food and drink, prayer, deprivation of physical pleasures, and a day of rest. All in obedience to God according to his command in
Leviticus 16:29-31: 29 “This shall be a perpetual statute for you, for the native-born and for the foreigner: On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall fast and shall do no work. 30 On that day atonement shall be made for you, to purify you, and you shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. 31 It shall be a day of complete rest for you, on which you shall fast. It is a perpetual statute.
Therefore, in Jewish tradition, Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the year, representing the atonement for sins and the reconciliation of the people with God for another year. During the first and second days of the seventh month of each year, eating, drinking, bathing, and sexual relations are all suspended for the Jewish people wherever they are. This annual fast begins at sunset on the first day and ends at night on the second day.
Jewish fasting in Babylonian exile
After the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and during the exile of the Jews in Babylonian lands, the people established four days of fasting each year. These fast days were held on the following dates:
- The ninth day of the fourth month of Tammuz, as a reminder of the day the walls of Jerusalem were taken by Babylonian troops.
- Between the seventh and tenth day of the fifth month, as a reminder of the burning of the Temple of Jerusalem.
- In the seventh month, in the new year.
- The ninth day of the tenth month, as a reminder of the day Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonians. You can read about this in the Bible.
Zechariah 8:19: «Thus says the Lord Almighty: »“For Judah the fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be joy and gladness, and joyful celebrations. Therefore love truth and peace.”
Jewish Personal Fast
Personal fasting is a common tradition among the Jewish people. In the book of psalms, the suggestion of personal fasting in difficult situations can be found on several occasions, an example of this is the following verses of the psalms:
35:13 (ESV) But I, when they were sick, wore sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer was repeated in my chest.
69:9-10 (PWB) The emotion I feel for your house is consuming me; I receive the offenses of those who insult you. 10 When I cry and fast, they make fun of me.
109:24 (KJV 1960) My knees are weak from fasting, And my flesh shrivels up for lack of fatness.
The following texts also refer to personal fasting:
- Daniel 9:3; 10:3.
- Ezra 10:6.
- Nehemiah 1:4.
Islamic Fasting
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five main and mandatory foundations of the Islamic culture or Muslim religion. Ramadan is a celebration in memory of the first revelation of the Prophet Muhammad. The non-Muslim world associates the term Ramadan more with the Islamic fast than with the month. This month is the ninth of the Islamic calendar and can vary from year to year around the lunar change.
The fast of the month of Ramadan lasts between twenty-nine and thirty days, defined by the time between one crescent moon and the next. The daily fast is marked from sunrise to sunset, during which time only two meals are eaten. The first meal, known as suhur, must be eaten before dawn. At the end of the daily fast, the second meal, known as iftar, is eaten in groups within the Muslim community. They gather to break the fast after sunset.
The month of Ramadan significantly alters the lives of Muslims, these days they live more at night. Just as the diet changes remarkably when preparing meals with a high energy intake. During these days of community fasting and obligation, what they call Sawāb or Thawāb, which are the spiritual rewards, multiply.
Therefore, Muslims not only prohibit themselves from eating and drinking, but also from indulging in other pleasures that might be associated with sinful behavior. They thus occupy the hours of fasting in prayer or salat, reading the Quran, and performing works of charity to strengthen their purity and conscience with their God, Allah. In this culture, personal fasts are also observed throughout the year.
Conditions during Ramadan
As already mentioned, Muslims take vows of sacrifice beyond abstaining from food and drink during Ramadan. To do so, they must meet the following conditions:
Start of the month of ramadanEvery Muslim must be aware of the beginning of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the first quarter moon, and they must be attentive to see the first night of this event. If it has been cloudy that night and the Ramadan moon cannot be seen, they begin fasting that day. The same applies to anyone who has not been able to see the first Ramadan moon in person and has been confirmed by a trusted person, they begin fasting the following day.
The intention: Muslims must make a vow of intention the night before the first day of fasting, and so on, so that it can be valid. In the intention, the person must decide specifically and clearly what is the reason for fasting on that day, or for the month if he so wishes.
to refrainDuring Ramadan, they must abstain from eating any solid or liquid food. They are not allowed to smoke. They must observe the exact time limit between eating and the period of abstinence; if they eat anything during this time, the validity of the fast is nullified. They must also abstain from sexual intercourse and ejaculation through masturbation during the period of abstinence. If they perform one of these acts during the night, they must perform an act of ablution or washing before dawn.
Forbidden to induce vomiting: You cannot induce vomiting after eating any food. Only unintentional vomiting does not break the fast.
exempt personsRamadan is obligatory in Muslim doctrine. The only exemptions are children, the sick, people traveling, menstruating women, and pregnant women.
What is Christian fasting?
Christian doctrine is derived directly from Old Testament Judaism, so Christian fasting shares some of the nature of Jewish fasting. Fasting is one of the spiritual behaviors that the Christian must perform to exercise his faith. This is a discipline that contributes to the strengthening of the spirit and therefore allows a more intimate approach with God.
Fasting allows Christians the opportunity to voluntarily put to death their own flesh, giving priority to the spiritual and communion with God.
Benefits of fasting
The Bible says about fasting that God honors Christians who do it sincerely and deeply. It is an act of humiliation in God's eyes. Fasting accompanied by prayer leads Christians to reconcile themselves with their first love, which is agape love, the love of God, and also brings about a more intimate encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Fasting and prayer give entrance to the Holy Spirit to show the true spiritual condition of the believer. Leading the believer to brokenness, repentance and therefore to a transformation of life. In this sense we invite you to enter this article of christian prayers for spiritual renewal, to be able to have a more direct communication with God, which allows him to renew and build his spirit.
Therefore, everyone who considers themselves a Christian should fast, whether personal or congregational, as prescribed by the Church as the Body of Christ. Personal and voluntary fasting has its benefits, including the following:
- It helps to give character, to polish self-discipline and obedience.
- It allows the most intimate communion with God. Not only from the believer to God, but it is a spiritual certainty that he approaches those who humble themselves. Because as the flesh decreases, the spiritual grows.
- It is a form of worship and worship brings blessing.
- Fasting strengthens and renews.
- Through fasting victory is gained over any enemy.
Types of Fasting
The meaning of the word "fast" is the partial or total abstention from food or drink for a specified period of time. According to this, the following types of Christian fasts can be observed:
- Absolute: They are fasts for short periods of time and consist of absolute abstention from all solid or liquid food, even restricting drinking water.
- Normal: Only water intake is permitted during fasting.
- Part TimeThis fast is based on the prophet Daniel's fast, found in the Bible in Daniel 10:2-3. Certain foods are eliminated, such as sweets, fruits, meats, wines, and any food considered a delicacy. Only legumes and vegetables are allowed.
- MediumThis fast is a half-hour fast, usually lasting six hours without eating anything, only water. It's especially popular among people whose health or physical condition prevents them from doing the aforementioned fasts. It's usually done in the morning.
In the bible verses of fasting
In the Bible you can find from the old to the new testament different quotes or texts that talk about fasting. Some of these Bible verses are listed below:
- Exodus 34:28.
- Ezra 8:21–23.
- 1 Kings 19:8.
- Nehemiah 1:4.
- Esther 4:16.
- Psalm 35: 13.
- Daniel 9:3.
- Joel 2:12.
- Jonah 3:5.
- Matthew 6:18 and Matthew 17:21.
About the fast of the Lord Jesus Christ for forty days and forty nights, it can be read in the following biblical texts:
- Matthew 4:2.
- Luke 4: 1–2.
2 Corintios 4: 16 Therefore we do not lose heart; though our outer self is perishing, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
So through fasting the person and his spiritual senses are strengthened and developed much more.
The fast that pleases God
In the book of Isaiah you can find what kind of fasting is pleasing to God, in the passage of chapter 58, he says it very clearly, saying: that stopping eating for the sake of stopping eating has no spiritual result and that there is no benefit in stopping eating or drinking, if you do not stop doing things that go against what pleases the heart of God.
Isaiah 58:6-10 (NIV):6 But it's not really like that! -The fast that pleases me- is that they free the prisoners chained unjustly, it is that they free the slaves, it is that they let the mistreated go free and that they put an end to all injustice; 7 is that they share bread with those who are hungry, is that they give shelter to the poor, clothe those who have no clothes, and help others.
8 Those who fast like this will shine like the light of dawn, and their wounds will soon heal. Before them will go justice and behind them, the protection of God. 9 “If you call me, I will answer you; if they scream for help, I'll tell them, "I'm here." If they stop mistreating others, and don't insult or curse them; 10 if you offer your bread to the hungry and help those who suffer, you will shine like light in the darkness, like the light of midday.
How to deliver a fast
When beginning a Christian fast, it is necessary to set an intention and surrender it to God, in this way invoking his blessings. Likewise, one should pray to understand God's will. One intention could be to pray for work. To do this, you can read the prayer for me to do well at work every day.
Prayer to deliver fast:
O God the Father!
In this hour I ask you
Accept this fast that I present to you today
With this special favor that I ask of you
Listen and attend oh God
The prayer of this your servant
Always Lord I bring my wishes to you,
Supplications, requests and needs.
Grant me the grace of your blessing
Give me your favor and give me release,
wisdom and salvation
Lord allow the heavens to open
and provide the necessary resources
of the favor that I ask of you
Use the right people
touch their hearts
help me fulfill
The sincere fast that I offer from the heart
I accept above all your will
Because I know that your plans
They are better than mine
God, thank you for receiving my fast and for hearing me
thanks for what you do with me
I ask this in the name of Jesus,
Amen
Then I invite you to read another article that will also allow you to approach the Almighty through a prayer God help me I'm desperate and I can't anymore.
