Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
I recently read that a person can go without food for 30 days but cannot go without water past 7 days. To go past these limits is to enter into dangerous territory. Yet, there are those in the Bible who have gone past these limits. Moses did not eat or drink for 40 days (Deut. 9:9), and for another 40 days (Deut. 9:18); Elijah did not eat or drink for 40 days (1 Kgs. 19:8); and Jesus fasted for 40 days (Matt. 4:2, Luke 4:2).
Moses fasted as he waited to receive the tablets with God's Ten Commandments written on them. Elijah fasted as he made his pilgrimage to Mt. Horeb to receive new instructions from God. Jesus fasted after His Baptism and for 40 days was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. Afterwards, Jesus was empowered by the Spirit of God and went into the synagogue in Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and after reading from the book of Isaiah announced that He was the Messiah. He then began His ministry to show us God's deep love for each of us.
I have only fasted for short periods of time. Sometimes my fasting has been a spiritual choice, other times it has been my direction for dieting. But each time I've deleted food from my schedule I've found that time is more abundant, there's an inner peace from God that strengthens me, and I am drawn closer to Jesus. When Jesus says that He is the bread of life He is telling us that everything that we need is in Him. We believe in Jesus by faith when we rely on Him for our sustenance and care. Oh, how He loves you and me!