What Is The Purpose Of The Daniel Fast?

The Daniel Fast comes from a story found in the biblical book of Daniel. It tells of a young Jewish man and two others who were taken into the service of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon after the Babylonians had seized control of Jerusalem in the 6th century B.C. The king sought young men who could be trained in Babylonian culture and language, and Daniel and his friends were to be fed rich foods and wine directly from the king's table. But Daniel refused to eat the royal food, and instead ate only vegetables and drank only water. Compared with those who ate the king's food, Daniel was said to have "looked healthier and better nourished."

How the Daniel Fast Works

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that involves abstaining from eating or any activity that takes a believer's focus off of God. The Daniel Fast, however, places greater emphasis on restriction rather than total abstention from food. Fasting is observed by the faithful for many reasons. The purpose of the Daniel Fast is to seek God for courage, conviction and help in troubled times. Daniel remained prayerful during this time, which was a new season for Israelites. Contemporary Christians typically observe the Daniel Fast in January to bring in the New Year with prayer and attention to God. As practiced by Daniel, the fast involves eating only vegetables and drinking only water. However, most Daniel Fasts in practice involve eating all plant-based foods, including fruit and grains. They also break the fast with the Lord's Supper of communion, with bread and grape juice.

Spiritual Discipline

The fast was Daniel's way of showing commitment to Israel's God. The act of indoctrinating him into Babylonian culture was an affront to his faith, so many observe the Daniel Fast to root out all of today's modern traps and temptations. Whether it's food, work, television, the Internet, money--even speech--the faithful practice fasting to maintain the original practices the Bible teaches them to observe. Among the faithful, fasting is a religious vow that is not taken lightly, and requires discipline.

Devotion to Prayer

Instead of feeding with food, adherents of the Daniel Fast feast on the Bible. The time is reserved for as much prayer, meditation and scriptural study as possible. In Daniel's time, the prayer was to seek God for the release of the Jewish people from the hands of the Babylonians, but Christians modernize it to the struggles faced today, such as debt and war.

Timing of Daniel Fast

The Daniel Fast practiced today comes from the first chapter of the Book of Daniel. In that chapter, Daniel was first being tested to see how well nourished and strong he could remain while abstaining from the king's table. That test was only 10 days, although Daniel continued to follow the diet. Later, in the 10th chapter, Daniel again ate no choice foods for three weeks, and says that on the 24th day of the first month, he experienced a vision. The Daniel Fast observed today is usually 21 days, observed from the first through the third week of January.

Caution

The Daniel Fast, like any other fast, can create problems for people with medical conditions. It is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women. Consult your doctor before starting any fast. Ask about instructions for your medication and how to manage any conditions you have while fasting.