Prayer for fasting and praying combines two disciplines scripture consistently pairs together, denying yourself something ordinary to focus more fully on seeking God, believing some breakthroughs come through this combination specifically. From Hannah to Paul, real people fasted before real answers came.
These thirty verses walk through that same practice. If Daniel prayer for 21 days gave you a specific season to follow, let this prayer be the broader foundation for fasting and prayer combined, any time you sense the need for it.
Pray these whenever you set aside a period of fasting, letting prayer and self-denial work together.
Prayer for Fasting and Praying
1. Isaiah 58:6 (KJV)
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”
Prayer: Father, is this not the fast You choose, to loose the chains of injustice and set the oppressed free? Let this fast produce that same real fruit.
Let this fast change how I treat others, not just how I feel spiritually.
2. Joel 2:12-13 (KJV)
“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
Prayer: Lord, even now, return to You with all my heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning, rending my heart, not just my garments.
Let genuine repentance, not just ritual, mark this fast.
3. Matthew 6:16-18 (KJV)
“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”
Prayer: Father, when I fast, let me not do it to be seen, but let You, who sees in secret, reward me.
Let this fast be genuine before You, not performed for others to notice.
4. Acts 13:2-3 (KJV)
“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”
Prayer: Lord, while the church fasted and prayed, You spoke clearly about their calling. Speak clearly to me through this fast too.
Let clarity about my own calling emerge from this focused time.
5. Acts 14:23 (KJV)
“And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”
Prayer: Father, with prayer and fasting, they were committed to Your care. Let this practice commit me more fully to You too.
Let this fast deepen my trust, not just test my discipline.
6. Daniel 9:3 (KJV)
“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:”
Prayer: Lord, Daniel turned to You in prayer and petition, in fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Let me turn to You with that same seriousness.
Let this fast involve real sacrifice, not just words spoken casually.
7. 2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (KJV)
“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.”
Prayer: Father, like Jehoshaphat, let fear turn me to seek You, proclaiming a fast and resolving to inquire of You.
Let crisis or need drive me toward You, not away from You, during this fast.
8. Nehemiah 1:4 (KJV)
“And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”
Prayer: Lord, Nehemiah sat and wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for days. Let that same weight of prayer mark this fast.
Let me not rush through this, but let it take the time it genuinely needs.
9. Esther 4:16 (KJV)
“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”
Prayer: Father, Esther called for a fast before a decision that mattered greatly. Let this fast prepare me for whatever decision lies ahead too.
Let this discipline give me courage, not just clarity.
10. Jonah 3:5-10 (KJV)
“So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
Prayer: Lord, an entire city fasted and turned from evil ways, and You relented. Let this fast turn my own heart just as fully.
Let real change, not just temporary discipline, be the outcome here.
11. Luke 2:37 (KJV)
“And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”
Prayer: Father, Anna served You with fasting and prayer, night and day. Let that same devotion mark my own life, not just this one season.
Let this become a rhythm I return to, not just a single event.
12. Matthew 4:1-2 (KJV)
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You fasted forty days before facing temptation and beginning Your ministry. Let this fast prepare me for what comes next too.
Let this discipline strengthen me for whatever this season is preparing me for.
13. 1 Corinthians 7:5 (KJV)
“Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”
Prayer: Father, let this time be set apart deliberately for prayer, agreed upon and purposeful, not just given up carelessly.
Let this season be intentional, decided in advance, not vague or open-ended.
14. Psalms 35:13 (KJV)
“But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.”
Prayer: Lord, let me humble my soul through this fast, not just my body.
Let real humility, not just physical discipline, define this practice.
15. Psalms 69:10 (KJV)
“When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.”
Prayer: Father, let me humble myself through fasting, even if it costs me something real.
Let this cost mean something, not just be an inconvenience to endure.
16. Zechariah 7:5 (KJV)
“Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?”
Prayer: Lord, when I fast and mourn, let it genuinely be for You, not just an outward religious exercise.
Let this fast be for You specifically, not just a habit I keep out of routine.
17. 1 Samuel 1:7-8 (KJV)
“And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?”
Prayer: Father, Hannah wept and would not eat, pouring out her grief before You in prayer. Let my own fasting carry that same honest weight.
Let this fast come from genuine need, not just discipline for its own sake.
18. Judges 20:26 (KJV)
“Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.”
Prayer: Lord, Your people fasted and sought You before a decisive moment. Let this fast prepare me for a decisive moment too.
Let this discipline sharpen my focus before whatever comes next.
19. 2 Samuel 12:16 (KJV)
“David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.”
Prayer: Father, David pleaded with You and fasted earnestly. Let my own pleading through this fast be just as earnest.
Let this fast be marked by real urgency, not casual observance.
20. Daniel 10:2-3 (KJV)
“In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.”
Prayer: Lord, Daniel mourned and sought You for three full weeks, eating simply for the sake of seeking You. Let me commit to that same focus.
Let this season be marked by real commitment, not half-hearted effort.
21. Acts 9:9 (KJV)
“And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.”
Prayer: Father, Saul spent three days without sight, neither eating nor drinking, before his calling became clear. Let this fast bring similar clarity.
Let this discipline mark a genuine turning point, not just a routine practice.
22. 1 Kings 19:8 (KJV)
“And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”
Prayer: Lord, You sustained Elijah through forty days on the strength of what You provided. Sustain me through this fast the same way.
Let Your provision, not just my own willpower, carry me through this.
23. Isaiah 58:9 (KJV)
“Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;”
Prayer: Father, then I will call, and You will answer, I will cry for help, and You will say, here am I.
Let this fast lead to a real, clear answer, not just quiet discipline.
24. James 5:16 (KJV)
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Prayer: Lord, the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Let this combined discipline of fasting and prayer actually move something real.
Let this extended effort produce something ordinary prayer alone might not.
25. Habakkuk 2:3 (KJV)
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
Prayer: Father, this vision awaits an appointed time, it will not prove false. Though it lingers, help me wait for it through this whole fast.
Let patience hold through the entire length of this fast, not just the beginning.
26. Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Prayer: Lord, let me bring every request to You throughout this fast with thanksgiving, and let Your peace guard my heart and mind.
Let peace, not anxious striving, accompany me through this whole season.
27. Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Prayer: Father, let me not grow weary in doing good through this fast, trusting a harvest is coming if I do not give up.
Let this discipline finish well, not fade out before it reaches completion.
28. Ezra 8:23 (KJV)
“So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.”
Prayer: Lord, we fasted and petitioned You about this, and You answered our prayer.
Let this same pattern hold true, fasting joined by petition, answered clearly.
29. Psalms 27:14 (KJV)
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Prayer: Father, help me wait for You and be strong, taking heart as I fast and pray through this season.
Let waiting not feel like wasted time, but real, active preparation.
30. Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Prayer: Lord, let me hope in You and renew my strength through this fast, soaring like eagles, not growing weary.
Let renewal, not exhaustion, describe how I feel by the end of this season.
Conclusion
Prayer for fasting and praying follows a pattern scripture returns to again and again, real self-denial joined with real seeking, trusting some breakthroughs come specifically through this combination, not through prayer or fasting alone.
Use these thirty verses to guide your own season of fasting, returning to a few each day and staying honest about what this discipline is actually costing you.
For a specific extended season, Daniel prayer for 21 days and the battle plan for prayer both pair naturally with this one.