Another view of fasting

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? – Isaiah 58v6-7

I remember the first time I preached a message on this passage. I was in a mid-week service in a town that had just suffered a devastating tornado. Many were dead and hundreds were homeless. The city was asking for temporary shelters. This church had a large sports hall with full kitchen facilities. However the topic never came up. Nobody mentioned helping these people. I had, of course, already prepared the message. And yet, as I preached, God changed the message.

The words were written to a people who did all their religious works properly. They cried out to God about why He wasn't blessing them. They were even fasting with no results.

God told them that the fasting and the rest of their religious works were not enough. 'Here is the fast I have chosen' said God. He then goes on to tell how God's people really evidence their faith.

There are two aspects, spiritual and physical.

The spiritual aspects are clear - 'To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke.' Though we fall far short we all at least know the importance of this aspect. Even if we don't do it like we should, we know they truth that the gospel message will do all these things. We know that we need to do them.

But the second half really spoke to my heart that night and has ever since. There is more to it than just the spiritual. The kind of fast that God requires also means that we 'share our bread with the hungry, and that we bring to our house the poor who are cast out; and when you we the naked, that we cover him,'

The particular setting that night was obvious. People were homeless, the had missed their dinner, some only had the clothes on their backs. And yet we sat in our comfortable pews, with the means to feed and temporarily house scores of people. And we did – nothing, nothing at all.

That was just the start of it. As I have looked around through the years since then I have seen how little we do to feed, clothe, and shelter the poor and needy. As I have studied through the years I have learned that God never rescinds these instructions. His commands to do this things are just as clear in the New Testament as they were in the Old.

Even as I sit here now knowing what I know and with the changes I have made in my perspective and actions I am still convicted.

If we really want to please God we have to do more than just fast and pray. He have to do more than just preach the liberating gospel. We need to remember to do the rest. We need to shelter the homeless, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked. We need, as Jesus said, to give that cup of water. For in doing that we show how we really feel about Jesus.