Prayer and Fasting are talked about all throughout the Bible. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus says, “When you fast.” He is expecting us to fast, and then gives us direction in how to do so. Verse 16 continues by saying, “do no fast like the hypocrites. With a sad countenance, but instead do not appear to men to be fasting.”

God desires us to give up food for our physician bodies periodically. When we fast we will be hungry. It is in our hunger that we are reminded of the frailty of our flesh. Our strength alone comes through God. 

The church in Antioch was praying and fasting. The Holy Spirit directed them to send out Barnabus and Saul to Cyprus to preach. So they went and preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. As they were preaching a sorcerer full of deceit and fraud came to them. This sorcerer was seeking to turn people away from God. Paul (Saul) full of the Holy Spirit turned to him and said, “The hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind for a time” The sorcerer’s eyes went immediately dark.

The people who heard and saw this example of God’s power were astonished. Fasting brings what is praying for in secret into the light.

Use us, Lord. Move-in us. Here we are.

Acts 13:12 NKJV
Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.