New Perspective on Fasting

This morning my husband highlighted a passage in Isaiah that I had read before and even highlighted previously on my blog because of the message contained in it about being a well-watered garden...

However my husband brought to light a new perspective on Isaiah 58 that I hadn't really considered all that much...that God wants our times of fasting to benefit the needy and oppressed. (I guess this was unpacked a little bit in The Lord's Table study when it unpacked fasting on day 4, emphasizing it was to be other-centered...but it didn't quite hit me the way it did today!)

"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 him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. Isaiah 58:6-12

I began to think about the heartbeat of God, how He truly desires us to care for the hungry, naked, poor, needy and oppressed. He is really driving that home to both Jon and I lately...and we are having a hard time knowing what to do with this message He keeps impressing on us! Anyways, God will make all things clear in time. We'll just keep on listening and being open to His will for our lives.


In the meantime, the above passage brought up an interesting idea. We've been thinking about lent lately. I have to confess I've only once participated in any kind of fasting during lent...and at the time I had no clue it was related to lent! I had taken a 40 day fast from TV about 10 years ago, as our pastor challenged the congregation to fast from something of value to each of us individually. I remember it being a very special and powerful time and definitely drew me closer to the Lord.

I am feeling called to embrace this season this year, though still know very little about it I must once again confess. I'm trying to figure out what God is calling me to fast from this upcoming lent season. I have some ideas but will keep them private at this time.

But one thing in regards to fasting from food struck me as I read this passage today...

When I fast from food and give up a meal, wouldn't it be great if it would DIRECTLY benefit the poor and needy?!

So Jon and I took a look at our regular grocery spending budget and figured $1/person/meal per day was a fair guess-timate of our spending. The idea I have is to fast (as the Lord directs me) and directly place $1/person/meal (or some kind of paper substitute for ease of use) every time my husband or I fast from a meal. The next step will be to deduct the amount of $$'s in that jar from my grocery spending budget and DIRECTLY put it towards those who are poor, needy or oppressed. We'll figure out that part later, as the Lord leads!

This idea really resonated with me because it lines up so beautifully with the above scripture passage.

Another idea we had was to broaden our kid's (and our) perspective of poverty/needs for a solid week in the upcoming lent season. We thought maybe our breakfast/suppers could reflect a typical meal for a person in a 3rd world country. We'll try to carve out what that could look like for our family...

God has just given us so many blessings. It is hard to even comprehend all the "stuff" we have been blessed with. We take it all so for granted and expect these "luxuries" to be "necessities" often times. Often times we become so self-preoccupied and self-centered that we feel independant of God, with no need for Him, self-sufficient... We forget WHOSE hand these gifts and blessings comes from. Maybe this is why it is so difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven???

Anyways, I should stop rambling! I'm excited about the month or so ahead. I am actually looking forward to hearing what God wants me to lay aside and strip away. I pray that God will use these baby steps to glorify Him and teach me, humble me, convict me and draw me into a deeper and closer relationship with Him. I pray that He will be magnified and glorified in all I say, do, pray, think...


I pray that He will increase....and I will decrease (1 John 4:4). Amen.

Oh...and one more thing... I have already decided that I will "fast" from using the scale for the season of lent! I know that may sound weird to some! I usually step on the scale daily. I know my temptation would be to see a correlation between fasting and my weight to be intertwined... But I want whatever sacrifices are made to be made with the right motivation and intentions, to be solely focussed on Him and His glory and purposes. I don't want to be side-tracked:-)