Isaiah 58: 1-7 (NIV)
Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. Why have we fasted, they say, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?
Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Explanation:
When I first saw the title of my assignment for this devotion, it made me pause and think about its significance. The title “Real Fasting” should make us all think that if there is a real way to fast, then there must be a wrong way to fast.
In this passage, there is a warning to the Jews that they need to fast for the right reasons. While preparing to write this devotion, I read that fasting combined with sincere prayer can help you prepare yourself and others to receive God's blessings. As you read in verses 4-5, the people's fasting is described in very selfish ways: you do as you please, you exploit others, and cause quarreling and strife. I don't think any of those things sound pleasing to God.
Verse 6 shows us what the Lord wants to do for us when we humbly fast and pray before our God. He wants to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke. In other words, God wants us to be freed from the bondage of sin and heartache that accompanies a life focused only on ourselves.
If God calls you to fast and pray for a specific reason, do it with all humility and sincerity. Don't do it for selfish reasons. God loves us so much and truly knows the condition of our hearts and our motives.
Application:
This life is not about us. It is all about Jesus and giving Him the glory and honor and praise. Do you live your life in this manner?
Do a self-check of your motives for all you do each day. Are you doing things for your own recognition, or are you wanting people's attention to be drawn to our Lord?
Devo Plus:
If you want to know all the Bible says about fasting, go to the website www.bible.org and type in fasting. You will find an immense amount of information and scripture references regarding fasting.
Prayer:
Father God, You have set up for us guidelines as to how to best live our lives. Through the Bible and the fellowship and teaching of other believers, we can learn to live and grow to be more like Jesus. We are broken humans who still sin and do things for selfish reasons. Help us to change our motives so that we are more centered on Jesus Christ, who is our only hope for a joyful life while here on the Earth and for life eternal. I pray these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen!