In the Old Testament, it appears that fasting with prayer had to do with a sense of need and dependence, and/or of abject helplessness in the face of actual or anticipated calamity.
Katika Agano la Kale, inaonekana kwamba kufunga na sala ilikuwa na maana ya haja na utegemezi, na / au kutojiweza katika shida halisi au msiba unaotarajiwa.