The Daniel Fast

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What the Daniel Fast is

The book of Daniel opens with the first deportation from Judah to Babylon, in the third year of King Jehoiakim (around 605 BC). Nebuchadnezzar took young men from the nobility to be trained for three years in the language and culture of the Chaldeans, with new names and food from the king’s table. The text does not explain in detail why Daniel refused those delicacies; interpreters often point to the food laws given through Moses, and to the fact that eating from the royal table meant depending on the king and his gods. What the text does make clear is that the decision was born in the heart before it became a request.

The Daniel Fast, in this journey, is a 21-day season of consecration. Inspired by the text itself, it usually involves simple food, without the “delicacies” we have grown used to having on hand, and also abstaining from the excesses that crowd the heart: endless entertainment, scrolling through screens, the noise that never lets you be alone with God. The time and attention left over are given to prayer and to the Word. Fasting is not a coin to buy answers with; it is a way of saying, with your body and your calendar, that God comes first.

So before you begin, a word of care. If you have a health condition, take ongoing medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have ever struggled with eating, talk to your doctor and adapt the fast. Consecration is not hurting yourself. You can fast from other things, such as social media, TV shows, impulse buying or late nights, and its worth before God remains the same, because he looks at a willing heart.

In the Bible

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

“Test your servants, I beg you, ten days; and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks. I ate no pleasant food. No meat or wine came into my mouth. I didn’t anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.

“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

Scripture: World English Bible (public domain).

How to begin

1. Read Daniel 1:1-8 out loud before breakfast and write down on a sheet of paper what you will set aside in these 21 days (foods, screens, habits).
2. If you have a health condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before changing what you eat; adapt the fast into something safe for you.
3. Choose today the set time when you will pray and read the Word during the journey, and put a reminder on your phone.

The 21 days

Week 1 · Consecration

The decision to set apart time and heart for God.

1. Day 1The decision to consecrate yourselfDaniel 1:8
2. Day 2Purpose in the heartRomans 12:1Available in the app
3. Day 3A faith that is not defiledDaniel 1:12Available in the app
4. Day 4The fast God has chosenIsaiah 58:6Available in the app
5. Day 5Before the Father, in secretMatthew 6:17-18Available in the app
6. Day 6Tearing the heartJoel 2:13Available in the app
7. Day 7The Word as foodMatthew 4:4Available in the app

Week 2 · Perseverance

In this stage, we learn about perseverance, prayer, and trusting God’s answer.

1. Day 8Weeping over broken wallsNehemiah 1:4Available in the app
2. Day 9Humbling yourself before GodDaniel 9:3Available in the app
3. Day 10Trusting in mercyDaniel 9:18Available in the app
4. Day 11Fasting and seekingDaniel 10:2-3Available in the app
5. Day 12Persevering until the answerDaniel 10:12Available in the app
6. Day 13Hearing the answerDaniel 10:19Available in the app
7. Day 14Waiting patientlyPsalms 40:1Available in the app

Week 3 · Covenant

Sealing with God what began in these days.

1. Day 15Worship above fearDaniel 3:12Available in the app
2. Day 16Courage in the trialDaniel 3:18Available in the app
3. Day 17In the middle of the fireDaniel 3:25Available in the app
4. Day 18IntegrityDaniel 6:4Available in the app
5. Day 19Prayer that doesn’t ceaseDaniel 6:10Available in the app
6. Day 20Trust in the denDaniel 6:22Available in the app
7. Day 21The covenant sealedJoshua 24:15Available in the app

Day 1 · The decision to consecrate yourself

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank

Context

The book of Daniel opens with the first deportation from Judah to Babylon, in the third year of King Jehoiakim (around 605 BC). Nebuchadnezzar took young men from the nobility to be trained for three years in the language and culture of the Chaldeans, with new names and food from the king’s table. The text does not explain in detail why Daniel refused those delicacies; interpreters often point to the food laws given through Moses, and to the fact that eating from the royal table meant depending on the king and his gods. What the text does make clear is that the decision was born in the heart before it became a request.

Daniel was young when everything was taken from him: his land, his home, the temple, even his name. In Babylon he came to be called Belteshazzar, to study another language and to be prepared to serve another king. The empire did not want only his work; it wanted his soul shaped from the inside, slowly, at the table.

It is against this backdrop that we find the phrase that opens this journey: Daniel purposed in his heart. Before any conversation with the chief of the eunuchs, before any dish was refused, there was a hidden place where he decided whom he belonged to. Consecration begins like that, with no audience. It was not his surroundings that changed Daniel; it was Daniel who decided not to be changed by his surroundings.

The Daniel Fast, in this journey, is a 21-day season of consecration. Inspired by the text itself, it usually involves simple food, without the “delicacies” we have grown used to having on hand, and also abstaining from the excesses that crowd the heart: endless entertainment, scrolling through screens, the noise that never lets you be alone with God. The time and attention left over are given to prayer and to the Word. Fasting is not a coin to buy answers with; it is a way of saying, with your body and your calendar, that God comes first.

So before you begin, a word of care. If you have a health condition, take ongoing medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have ever struggled with eating, talk to your doctor and adapt the fast. Consecration is not hurting yourself. You can fast from other things, such as social media, TV shows, impulse buying or late nights, and its worth before God remains the same, because he looks at a willing heart.

Maybe you are starting these days tired, unsure of yourself, remembering other times you started and stopped. Daniel had no guarantees either. He did not know how the king would react, or whether his request would be granted. He simply decided. And the decision settled in his heart was what sustained him for decades in Babylon.

Notice also that Daniel was not alone. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah made the same decision, and each one’s faithfulness strengthened the others. Consecration is not a solitary race. If you can, invite someone to walk with you through these days, or at least tell one trusted person what you have decided. Not to be seen, but to be held up when your resolve weakens.

Today is not a day for big promises. It is a day for an honest decision, made before God, in the place where no one sees. What are you setting apart for him in these 21 days? Write it down, say it out loud, surrender it. The rest of the journey will rest on this.

To reflect onEvery consecration begins with a firm decision made on the inside. What do you decide to set apart for God in these 21 days?

To live it today

• Read Daniel 1:1-8 out loud before breakfast and write down on a sheet of paper what you will set aside in these 21 days (foods, screens, habits).
• If you have a health condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before changing what you eat; adapt the fast into something safe for you.
• Choose today the set time when you will pray and read the Word during the journey, and put a reminder on your phone.

More questions

• In which areas of your life have your “surroundings” been shaping you more than your faith?
• What makes it hard for you to make a decision before God without waiting to feel something first?
• Who could walk with you through these days, praying and asking how you are doing?

Prayer

To memorize

You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.

Read also: Jeremiah 29:12-13 · Romans 12:1-2 · 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Frequently asked questions

Scripture on this page: World English Bible (public domain).