Isn’t this the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked when you see him,
and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:6-7
Observation: The Lord clarifies what he expects of faithfulness. For many, the act of fasting is considered to be a great demonstration of faith ... denying one's own body of sustenance in a disciplined manner in order to be obedient to the Lord. However, the Lord doesn't like the way it is often done because of the attitudes and behaviors of those fasting. They either make a 'show' of it by dressing poorly to make it clear they are fasting, or they adopt a bad attitude out of their discomfort and take it out on others such as family and servants.
Instead, the Lord desires that fasting also produce a right heart, that then acts in accordance with the faith and the love of the Lord. Someone fasting should ... be righteous and good as they are reminded of God's teaching, assist others in kindness and generosity, take the very resources they are forgoing and pass them to others, spend the day caring for those less fortunate, and even caring for themselves as they remain the Lord's great and beloved workmanship. This is the fast the Lord wishes to see and chooses to favor.
Application: I do not regularly fast. The most regular discipline I have is my devotions, and for the most part I do not have regular routines that are otherwise designed to remind me of the Lord and his direction in my life. I should have such routines, as they would help me. That said, this passage is a reminder that routines and disciplines are not good if they don't produce the right heart and the right results in my life.
Do my devotions produce improved results in my life. I think 'yes', as without them I would fail to know the Lord's word as I do. Even though I do not perfectly remember and apply all its lessons at all times, I have more than I would without the practice. And I do believe the Lord "chooses" my devotions, as there are times I feel true revelation ... times where the insights that come to my mind are absolutely beyond my own mind and my limited understanding.
As we approach to Jewish holy days of Rosh Hashanah, I would like to consider additional disciplines like fasting. I believe it will help me focus on the Lord. In this, I will keep in mind this lesson of the Lord, which is that such times of fasting need to result in the Lord's own outcomes - kindness toward others, care for the downtrodden, passing along blessing - and not become a show or even a hardship that I pass on to others.
Prayer: Lord, the words I have heard these past 24 hours are in my heart, and I am considering them closely. May I look to you more and more, even minute-by-minute, in the coming days. Amen.
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