Topical Bible: Fasting: While Interceding in Prayer for his Friends

◄ Fasting: While Interceding in Prayer for his Friends ►

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Fasting, a spiritual discipline involving abstaining from food or drink, is often practiced in conjunction with prayer to seek God's guidance, intervention, or favor. Within the biblical narrative, fasting is frequently associated with intercessory prayer, where individuals seek divine intervention on behalf of others. This practice underscores a profound expression of love, humility, and dependence on God.

One of the most poignant examples of fasting while interceding for friends is found in the Book of Job. Job, a man described as "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1), undergoes severe trials, losing his wealth, health, and children. His friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, come to comfort him but instead engage in lengthy discourses, suggesting that Job's suffering is due to sin. Despite their misguided counsel, Job remains steadfast in his integrity.

In Job 42:7-10, God rebukes Job's friends for not speaking rightly about Him and instructs them to offer a burnt offering. God then commands Job to pray for his friends, promising to accept Job's intercession: "After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions" (Job 42:10). While the text does not explicitly mention fasting, the context of Job's intense suffering and earnest prayer suggests a period of deep spiritual engagement, which often includes fasting.

Fasting, in this context, serves as an act of humility and submission to God's will. It reflects a heart posture that prioritizes spiritual needs over physical sustenance, aligning the intercessor's desires with God's purposes. The act of fasting while interceding for friends demonstrates a willingness to bear their burdens and seek God's mercy on their behalf.

The practice of fasting while interceding is further exemplified in the life of Daniel. In Daniel 9, the prophet engages in prayer and fasting, confessing the sins of Israel and pleading for God's mercy and restoration. Daniel 9:3 states, "So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes" . Although Daniel's intercession is for the nation rather than individual friends, the principle remains the same: fasting amplifies the earnestness of prayer and the urgency of the request.

Fasting while interceding for others is a powerful expression of love and faith. It acknowledges human limitations and God's sovereignty, inviting divine intervention in the lives of those for whom we pray. This practice is rooted in the belief that God hears and responds to the prayers of the righteous, as affirmed in James 5:16: "The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail" .

In summary, fasting while interceding in prayer for friends is a biblically grounded practice that reflects a deep commitment to seeking God's will and blessing for others. It is an act of self-denial that prioritizes spiritual intercession, demonstrating love, humility, and faith in God's redemptive power.

Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 35:13
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.
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Library

Letter cxxii. To Rusticus.
... me with all your heart, and with fasting and with ... While you are wandering about your
own country (though, indeed ... had, you have lost) she is interceding for you ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxii to rusticus.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1832 to the Beginning ...
... and prayer; appointed days of fasting and thanksgiving, and ... the atoning merits, and
the interceding work of ... provoked the ridicule of some, while his good sense ...
/.../chapter 12 from the close.htm

The Barren Fig-Tree;
... in himself, but dureth for a while; for when ... Where is thy watching, thy fasting,
thy praying ... me, that is, pleading, arguing, interceding, supplicating, and ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the barren fig-tree.htm

A Discourse Upon the Pharisee and the Publican
... Fourth, By this prayer the Pharisee doth appropriate to himself ... will tell thee: This
done, even while thou art ... is therefore no need of thine interceding by thy ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse upon the pharisee.htm

part ii
... sorrows, sicknesses, and labours, by fasting, vigilance, prayer ... the sun; so likewise
our souls, while they live ... the soul during public worship and prayer at home ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... Now all this while poor Mercy did stand without ... wherefore she prevented Christiana
from a fuller interceding for her ... I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came in ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm

Some Gospel Truths Opened, According to the Scriptures; Or, the ...
... hold forth to us in their prayer, or request to ... not agree with thine adversary, now,
while thou art ... heaven only within, as some say; his interceding in heaven ...
/.../the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/some gospel truths opened according.htm