Prayer & Fasting: Modeling Jesus’ Lifestyle
by David Wright
To call oneself a Christian is to make a courageous and dedicated declaration: that one follows Christ in ways one thinks, lives, and leads. More than a label, it is a commitment to live as Jesus lived, to walk in His footsteps, and to reflect His love, humility, and obedience in all aspects of one’s life.
As we study the Bible, we easily see that Jesus did indeed practice deep and powerful prayer and fasting. His ministry began with prayer, he prayed for major events in His ministry, times of grief that His loved ones encountered, and in His most challenging of times. I believe it is safe to say that in all matters and on all occasions, Jesus prayed to His Father.
Not only did he pray and fast, He also taught His disciples to do both. Regarding prayer, His disciples recognized that His prayers were powerful and likely different than any they had lifted or witnessed. In Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus instructs His disciples on prayer. He teaches them how to pray. Of course, that prayer is known as the Lord’s Prayer, but it is meant to be the prayer of His disciples (us) to our Heavenly Father. Its beauty and power are framed within its simplicity. It provides a framework for all our prayers. He instructs His followers to:
Praise God – Seek His will
Pray for daily needs – Our needs this very day
Pray for forgiveness – Our own sins, as we forgive others
Pray for guidance and protection – against temptation and evil
The Apostle Paul’s admonition to “pray without ceasing” found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches that we are to maintain a constant, prayerful awareness of God’s presence throughout each of our days rather than limiting prayer to specific times or on formal or special occasions. Our prayer life is to be an ongoing two-way communication with God through Jesus. Therefore, as I consider Paul’s instruction, I believe that Jesus’ life was the primary example of unceasing prayerful communication with God the Father and Holy Spirit for Paul’s directive.
Jesus preceded His instructions in Matthew 6 with this statement: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full, but when you do pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6).
Fasting is another spiritual discipline that Jesus practiced and taught. Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). Fasting is not about deprivation—it is about devotion. It is a way to humble ourselves before God, to seek His guidance, and to deepen our spiritual focus on those things that He would have us devote our time and resources.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:16-18), Jeus said. “When you fast, do not look somber, as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Notice that Jesus begins both His teaching about prayer and His teaching about fasting with “when.” This indicates that we are expected to do both. He did not say, “If you pray and fast.”
My wife is a dedicated pray-er. Her faith amazes and humbles me. She willfully, joyfully, and quietly prays. She “gets” Paul’s charge to pray without ceasing. She is also a committed fast-er.
I sought and received her permission to share the following personal account of a fast she chose to do several years ago. She was reluctant, but as with many things, she prayed about it and concluded that if this account might inspire others, please humbly share it.
The first fast that she embarked upon was nearly twenty-five years ago. We were leaving our Sunday worship service when a fellow congregant in the exit hall said he was about to begin a forty-day fast. He invited others to participate. There was interest but not many “takers.” To my surprise, my wife stopped and chatted with him about his plan. She agreed to pray about what was to be a forty-day fast. Later in the day, after prayer to the Lord and a discussion with me, she said, “I feel called to do this.” I responded, “Forty days?! Seriously?” “Yes, with God, I will do this.”
She did not announce it. She did not sign any commitment sheets. She simply began. She drank water, tea, and various juices throughout the forty days, but had no solid food. I served as her encourager and prayer partner, and continued to be amazed at her resolve to follow through. And she did. She speaks today about the closeness she felt to the Lord throughout the forty days. It is a closeness that has continued and even grown in the years that followed. Her dedication to the Lord through this discipline continues. Each Wednesday, she fasts throughout the day. She finishes it with prayer and dinner each Wednesday evening.
In Mark 2:18-20, Jesus was asked by some Pharisees why His disciples did not fast. Jesus replied to them, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is still with them. But someday the groom will be taken away from them and then they will fast.”
Our prayers are our daily communion with our Heavenly Father. Let’s dedicate private time for quiet and prayerful solitude, listening and speaking with Him. Likewise, our times of fasting are acts of worship to the One True God who sent His Son to save what had been lost.
Scripture makes this clear: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). This is not a suggestion—it is a directive. It means that our actions, thoughts, and decisions should mirror those of Christ. We are called to love our enemies, forgive those who wrong us, serve the poor, and seek justice. But above all, we are called to cultivate a deep, abiding relationship with God, just as Jesus did.
Claiming to be a Christian is not a one-time declaration—it is a daily commitment. It is choosing, moment by moment, to live as Jesus lived. It is cultivating deep faith, engaging in daily prayer, and practicing timely fasting. It is loving, serving, forgiving, and obeying.
Because of Jesus!
