2020 VISION | Day 8 | Others!
“Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
and strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In”(Isaiah 58:9-12, NKJV).
I usually fast selfishly. Fasting for me typically boils down to a need to see improvement in my life, to feel closer to God, or to get an answer from God on some pressing matter. But this is a self-centered approach. What if I could change to an outward perspective? What if my fasting could benefit others? Isaiah writes of this very thing in our key text. Instead of self-improvement through fasting, Isaiah describes a fast that is about “others-improvement.” Feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, clothing the naked – these are the activities fasting should initiate in us. These are the activities that will change us into agents of light in a dark world. This type of fast will bring self-improvement, but not just for our benefit. Fasting in this way transforms us into conduits of God’s love and mercy to a hurting world. Will you join me in an“others-improvement” fast?
Prayer: Lord, transform me through fasting into an agent of light in this dark world. May fasting initiate in me acts of generosity. May your light in me shine like the noonday sun. In Christ’s Name, Amen!
