Fasting and prayer are often paired on special occasions, Acts 13:
It is not just prayer but prayer and fasting to humble ourselves before an important decision. Fasting served to intensify prayer, Acts 14:
In both cases, the disciples fasted before making the crucial appointments that had long-reaching consequences. Fasting solemnizes the souls to listen to God.
On another occasion, the disciples could not cast out a demon. They brought the man to Jesus, and Jesus cast out the demon. Jesus explained their failure in Matthew 17:
There is no guarantee that fasting and prayer will always change an outcome. David committed adultery and murder in 2 Samuel 12:
In the end, the child still died.
Yes, ultimately God is Lord, and He will do what is best in His own Kingdom. He hears our prayers, and if our requests comport with His own compassionate interests, He will answer those prayers, particularly if we show a complete dedication to Him.
Fasting, along with prayer, shows our earnestness. And God responds to that. At least, that has been my experience.
When we are desperate, we tend to lose our appetite regardless. In showing our utter reliance upon God He tends to show us kindness. But it will always be in accord with HIs own best interests.
2 Kings 13.18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”
Failure to show complete earnestness in the above passage shows how God values a complete commitment. Striking the ground only 3 times is a reflection of religious conformity, since 3 is the number of feasts Israel was to have each year. It is a legal observance.
But earnestness requires more than just devotion to religion. It requires a request for mercy beyond anything available under the Law. And that's what this ungodly king needed--mercy. We also should pray for mercy--we're all dirtbags until we choose obey God's word and cry out for His mercy.
