Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. Acts 14:23
“In the Bible, fasting is almost always conected to prayer. Jesus said, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). While God rewards the practice of fasting when it’s done with the right motives, combining fasting with prayer brings the greatest results.
John Wesley once said, “When you seek God with fasting added to prayer, you cannot seek His face in vain.” Fasting gives a big boost to prayer. When Apostle Paul and Barnabas ordained new elders in every church, they “prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23).
Fasting becomes that added power or intensity to prayer. Donald Whitney, in Spiritual Disciplines, wrote: “Fasting is one of the best friends we can introduce to prayer life.”
Vladimir Savchuk in A Beginner’s Guide to Fasting: Simple, Practical, Biblical (Pasco, WA: 2024) 13-14.
I am so grateful to God for the many people fasting for me as I engage with 130+ workers from 49 countries and territories at the GTP Global Gathering.
I love this word picture that fasting is one of the best friends we can introduce to prayer. Let’s all introduce this friend.