The Breakthrough Power of Fasting for Lent

Are you giving something up for Lent this year? I have a plan of fasting for Lent that I hope inspires you today.

Fasting for Lent

By fasting for Lent, your faith can grow to new heights. Fasting goes hand in hand with prayer. Jesus assumed we would fast when he spoke these words:

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.”
Matthew 6:16 NLT (emphasis added)

Jesus didn’t say “if you fast,” but “when you fast.” I admit to you, I didn’t grow up in a tradition that emphasized fasting. But as I’ve incorporated it into my prayer life in my adulthood, I’ve seen powerful results.

If you haven’t fasted before, it’s easier than you may think. Certainly, you can fast from certain foods during Lent. But if your health doesn’t permit that option, you can fast from many other things like social media, television, or other indulgences.

Whatever fasting for Lent option you choose, it needs to cost you something. It needs to hurt a little, because when it hurts, that’s your trigger to pray. I’ll explain this in my story below.

My Fasting Setup

This January, my church called for a 21-day fast. After praying about it, I decided to fast from a morning snack. Since I exercise in the morning, this was a true sacrifice because my body craves energy repletion. I learned that when my stomach felt empty or audibly growled, that was my cue to pray.

During this period, God instructed me to pray for two individuals. My fast was intercessory in nature. I was called to pray for breakthrough in both of their lives. You may decide to fast on behalf of others, your church, your country, etc. Or you may decide to fast over an important matter in your own life. Start praying now about the focus God wants you to have in your Lenten fast.

God also instructed me to get down on my knees and pray aloud for these two people. Every morning around 10:30 or 11:00 a.m., I went to my prayer bench and prayed for 10 to 15 minutes. A few times, I was in my car, so I simply pulled over, closed my eyes, and prayed at that time. Praying at the same time every day seemed to tune my thoughts and heart to their needs. You may also benefit from praying at the same time every day of your fast.

(Note: If you have an Alexa or similar device, you may want to move it out of the room to keep your audible prayers private, or take a prayer walk without any devices.)

Each day the Holy Spirit prompted new things for me to pray on their behalf. In the book When You Need to Move a Mountain, I learned about spirit-led prayer, and prayed in that style for both of these individuals. I started praying about the things I knew, and the Holy Spirit magnificently supplied new prompts as I continued to pray. It was exciting to see the Holy Spirit at work during my fast, and you can experience this excitement in your own fast as well!

My Fasting Results

God answered my prayers for breakthrough in both situations during my January fast. I’m still pinching myself because I secretly didn’t expect change in either situation. But because God is good, creative, and full of delightful surprises, he allowed me to see new things through this fast.

In both situations, I’ve been praying for these individuals for a long time. One for many months, the other for many years. Not knowing the outcomes in either situation, but clinging onto hope in God rather than people. If you’ve been praying for someone for a long time, you know how weary you can be tempted to feel. That’s where I was at the beginning of my fast. But God had two surprises in store for me.

I was quite shocked to see a total turnaround in one situation. Today, I’m still getting used to a new normal. Since God worked the changes, I believe they are going to stick. This is a quiet miracle for which I am praising God. It’s proof of this quote from Jenny L. Donnelly in her excellent book Still:

“I have come to realize that some things only bend in prayer but will break through fasting.”

In the other situation, my prayer prompts abruptly ran out on day 18. After months and months of praying for this person, and receiving new insights for prayer during the fast, the door suddenly closed. I mentioned this to a praying friend, and she calls this the “paper towel roll effect.” She explained that when we are called to intercede for someone, we pray until God’s prompts run out, and then our job is complete until or unless God hands us a new roll of prompts. The paper towel roll ran out for me in this situation, but I’m peaceful about it. I trust that God will use the prayers I’ve spoken over months and months for his mysterious and glorious purposes.

How Fasting Can Strengthen Your Faith

Do you want a breakthrough in your life? Fasting for Lent may be the way to get to it. As my story shows, we can pray for decades over one matter, yet experience breakthrough at last during a period of fasting. This is a principle, not a guarantee, because we can’t manipulate God. However, if your prayers during your fast include daily surrender to God’s will, you are all but certain to experience some type of breakthrough in your own walk of faith.

If you are stuck in a hurt, hangup, or bad habit, God may use a Lenten fast to bring you newness of life. If a relationship seems beyond repair, a work situation seems hopeless, or you are entering unknown territory, a fast can galvanize your faith. The fast may not change the situation, yet produce wonderful growth in you. Or God may use it to change you AND the situation! God may give you new wisdom, perspective, freedom from bondage, healing, or other blessings through a Lenten fast. Why not give it a try?

Consider fasting for Lent to grow your faith. I pray that God will guide you as to what to focus on in your prayer life, and that he will help your faith to grow to new heights. I’ll be starting a prayer fast again this Lenten season, and I hope you’ll join me!

Prayer

Here’s a prayer to encourage you:

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the gift of communing with you in prayer.
I praise you for the beautiful mystery of your will.
Lord, your ways are higher than my ways, and your thoughts higher than mine.
Yet in your grace and creative power, you allow me to partner with you through fasting.
Give me insight on what kind of fast I can do to bring you glory.
May my sacrifice of prayer during this Lenten season lift your name high.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Check out my brand new resource for Lent HERE! It’s a 40-day devotional and scripture writing plan. If you want to study God’s Word in a convenient way, plus hide it in your heart and mind through writing out scripture, this resource is for you!

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