Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights at the outset of His ministry.  Jesus told the disciples of John that His disciples would fast when He, the Bridegroom, was taken away.  (Matthew 9:14-15)  The Apostle Paul fasted often (2 Corinthians 11:27)  The church at Antioch was fasting and praying when the Holy Spirit spoke to them saying “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  (Acts 13:2)  But none of these passages really tells us why we should fast.

Let’s turn to 2 Chronicles 20 for a clear answer to our question.  You probably know the story.  Judah was being attacked by surrounding nations wanting to conquer them and take their land.  (Not dissimilar to the situation today.)  We see the reaction to a desperate situation by King Jehoshaphat in verse 3:  “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself (literally ‘set his face’) to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”  We then see his prayer in verses six to twelve.  In his prayer he exalts the Lord, reminds God of His promises and covenants, and cries out for help in Israel’s time of need.  During the national fast the Lord spoke and gave a clear strategy for overcoming the enemy.   Here we have that wonderful verse 15:  “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s“  God told the King to send out the singers before the army and they sang “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”  As they began to sing the Lord turned the enemy upon itself and they defeated themselves.  What a strategy!  Sing first.  Jehoshaphat send out the singers and see what I will do with your praise and faith.  As the nation drew near to the Lord in fasting and prayer they heard  the voice of the Lord.

There we have it.  The primary purpose of fasting and prayer is to set our self to seek the Lord.  Life is full of so many things that are required to just “do life.”  We need, from time to time, to set aside time to seek the Lord.  Fasting is a time of going without so we can focus on God Himself.  It may be in times of desperation like King Jehoshaphat or just in the process of life itself.  It is a time to make feeding our souls more important than feeding our bodies.  It is a time of heightened spiritual awareness; a time concentrated on hearing the voice of the Lord.  It is a time of humbling when we truly rely on Yahweh and not ourselves.  It is a time of seeking answers and hearing.  It is a time to intercede for others by fulfilling our priestly role.