Example duration: 1 meal; Purpose: to worship God.

David expressed being like a deer longing for streams of water. Sometimes, our love for God becomes so strong and the duration of our worship times so unsatisfying that we desire to spend more time with God. This is the moment for a good adoration fast. Instead of eating, we will skip a meal and go to a secluded place, such as our car or room, and worship God. There, we express our gratitude to God, our love for Him, declare His greatness, and who He is to us. We can sing, shout for joy, and even dance in His presence.

In Luke 2, we discover the story of Anna, an 84-year-old prophetess, a long-time widow, who spent her time serving God day and night in fasting and prayer. This woman had surely tasted the pleasures of life but had ultimately found greater joy in God and a renewed dedication to Him in her later years. The solitude that may weigh during retirement can be an opportunity to draw closer to God, avoiding trivialities. However, it’s not only those in retirement who are called to fast in this way. Setting aside one meal in active life allows us time to worship God and pour out our praises on Him. Instead of serving our stomach with food, we serve our God through worship.

One day, as I praised God in my car, I realized that I no longer took the time to kneel down and worship Him. I often prayed to be touched by His glory, but I didn’t stop to simply worship Him. This is something we often forget to do, yet praising God is serving Him. When we come home, for example, we can play a praise song or instrumental, then kneel down and, for thirty minutes or more, worship God. In the Old Testament, people brought sheep, doves, and pigeons to offer to God. Like them, we can offer sacrifices of praise, as it is written:

“Through Him, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Adoration fasting is not asking for anything related to our needs but simply worshiping Him in reverence. How many times have I worshiped God by repeating praise words for Him tirelessly, inspired by the Holy Spirit. These moments are among the most glorious!

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!” (Psalm 103:2).

Adoration fasting is a wonderful time to remember God’s benefits and praise Him for them. This fast can be done by walking in nature, for example, for those who are more inclined to praise God by marveling at His creation.

“It is I, John, who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God‘” (Acts of the Apostles 22:8-9).

Often, nowadays, when we say “going to church” to worship God, this worship is actually mostly centered on Man. We come to praise God but with the purpose of feeling something or receiving something from Him. The songs, preaching, and even offerings are often oriented towards our human needs rather than towards God. We no longer truly go to church to worship our God!

However, God calls us to serve Him by offering true worship. We should regularly question ourselves on this and spend more time in praise and worship. Sometimes, some even worship Man, whether that man is a pastor, priest, or even themselves. Like John, they fall at the feet of the man of God to worship him, but God says: “Guard yourself from doing that! Worship God!”

This text is an excerpt from the book “12 Reasons to Fast” written by Jérémy Sourdril. We invite you to read the following article “The Fast of Obedience“.