Fasting is a lot like praying in some ways. There are certainly many ways to pray and participate in prayer and fasting is similar. We can fast for many reasons and one of these that is described in the book of Daniel is fasting to glorify God. The reason for his fast was to show others the power of God and that his God, not his food, would provide strength to Daniel. Daniel had something to prove, but not about himself, about God. He wanted to demonstrate that his god was far more powerful than any God these people had seen or could imagine.

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. —Daniel 1:11-20

Daniel shows us another form of food fasting here called a partial fast. It’s not a complete fast from food, but from all food that we would typically find “filling” and “strength giving”. We would expect this fast to make these people healthy physically, but God did even more through this fast. He not only gave them physical strength and health, but also knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. God used Daniel’s fast to separate Daniel from the others around him and show his glory in a humanly kingdom.

Growth Challenge- Glorify God in your life through fasting

-Consider how a fast or partial fast could glorify God. A great place to start is a fast from news and social media. This could make an impact in your community and glorify God.
-Pray today about how you can stand out from others and bring Glory to God.
-Put it into action. TODAY. Start right now. Pray about how long to do it for, but make a commitment to start.
-If you are already fasting from something- consider adding a dimension to it that will glorify God. The point here is to rely on God.
-If you are fasting from food, always consider your own health first.