Many religions encourage fasting and prayer as a way to humble ourselves before God by voluntarily refraining from eating and drinking.

Some encourage fasting for 21 days each year in January as part of a 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting season. This includes abstaining from eating at certain times or abstaining from consuming certain foods for 21 days. Others encourage fasting one day each month, abstaining from food for a day.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one Sabbath day each month is set aside for the purpose of fasting. Members of the Church go without food and water for two consecutive meals in a 24-hour period and then contribute the money that would have been spent for that food to those in need (see Alma 34:28). This is a way to bless ourselves and to provide a way for us to help people in need.

Watch the video below of Amanda and her experience in learning about fasting:

Learn more about fasting and watch videos about other people’s experiences with fasting.

10 Benefits of Prayer

God wants us to communicate with Him through prayer. He loves us and He always listens to us when we pray. Daily prayer can bless you, your family, and those you pray for. It can also invite more peace into your life, help you learn more about God’s plan for you, and more. Here are ten ways prayer can improve your life, starting today.

1. Prayer helps you develop a relationship with God. Just like your parents here on earth, your Heavenly Father wants to hear from you and talk to you. When you pray, He listens. Then He answers your prayers in the form of thoughts, spiritual feelings, scripture, or even the actions of other people.
2. Prayer helps you gain an understanding of God’s loving nature. The scriptures teach, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). You can feel that love as you speak daily with Him through prayer, seeking His guidance in your life.
3. Prayer provides answers. Praying and listening to the answers God gives you can help you better understand your purpose in life. God will help you understand why you are here and what you can do to return to live with Him after this life.
4. Prayer helps you find direction in your life. When you privately pray to God, you can work through serious decisions in your life. God always listens and often provides the specific answers and guidance we seek. Even when He chooses not to answer immediately or in the way we might have hoped, prayer itself is a way to find peace.
5. Prayer gives you strength to avoid temptation. Jesus counseled His disciples, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). Through prayer, we can overcome temptations to sin. Pray for God’s help to keep you from making wrong choices. This will give you the strength to do what is right.
6. Prayer aligns your will with God’s will. The purpose of prayer is not necessarily to tell God how you want Him to do things. Rather, it’s to better understand Him and His ways, bringing yourself into alignment with His will. As C.S. Lewis is often attributed as saying, prayer “doesn’t change God. It changes me.”
7. Prayer and regular fasting can help you accept God’s will. Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before He began His ministry on the earth. As He did this, He communed with His Father in Heaven in prayer. Likewise, if you pray and fast, you can feel closer to God and better understand the things He wants you to do.
8. Prayer can work miracles. Throughout the scriptures, we see many examples of the Lord working miracles as an answer to prayer. In Old Testament times, the prophet Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den because he refused to stop praying. When he prayed to God in the lions’ den, angels appeared and closed the mouths of the lions. Through daily prayer, you can also experience personal miracles such as healing, peace, and forgiveness for sins.
9. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit into your life. As you pray daily, you invite the Holy Spirit to be with you and to comfort and direct you. The Holy Spirit can give you answers, help you feel God’s love, and bring feelings of peace and joy into your heart.
10. Prayer helps you become more like Jesus. Jesus set the perfect example of prayer. If you try to follow His example through prayer, you will become more like Him and develop a better relationship with Him and Heavenly Father.

From the page 10 Meaningful Benefits of Prayer at Come Unto Christ. See more great pages like this that explain basic principles of the gospel.

Watch the video The Power of Prayer:

Learn more about prayer and watch videos about other people’s experiences with prayer.