Scripture References:
Isaiah 65:24 (NKJV)
“It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
Isaiah 58:6-11(NKJV)
6 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?
7 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? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 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, 10 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.
11 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.
On my way to Sierra, I contemplated buying chicken for my son who was about to do some yard work there. I changed my mind and planned to buy it on my way back home. To our surprise, when we got there, a DoorDash delivery of chicken, potatoes and a drink was mistakenly left at the door. By the way, there were two separate containers with different flavors of chicken with enough to feed two to three people.
We still wonder at the way God does things. I did not even ask God for this, but it happened while I had already made my decision. It was already done. The food was still hot when we got to Sierra, which means that the delivery had just been made.
Could it be that sometimes we are terribly concerned about something that God already has signed, sealed and just waiting to be delivered? If we consider ourselves to be God’s people, we will meet the demands outlined in His conditional promises. Once we satisfy His mandates, He will answer our prayers before we even pray. Knowing this, we will do whatever He says and then approach the throne of grace with the assurance that our request is already done. (Isaiah 65: 24).
One of the requirements to see manifestations of God’s Word is that some things need prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:15- 21).
Isaiah 58 outlines the process that should be followed for fasting. He speaks firstly of our motive. What does it mean to fast? Jesus demonstrated that in St. John 4. He was hungry. We realize that food was not consumed. During a fast, the Word of God should be our feast. Then we should couple that abstinence of food and pleasure with worship to God. Jesus also went to a place where He would not be distracted, but His focus was on doing God’s will.
As we see the multiplication of evil in the world, we are to intentionally approach God to turn our hearts towards doing the right thing. The accountability for that begins with each of us. Since families are made up of individuals, each of us has a responsibility to impact the world positively. As such, we must cultivate an attitude of addressing the evil we see. A God-chosen fast must be responded to, in order to engage the Holy Spirit to engender obedience to do justly, show mercy and walk humbly with God.
Wickedness holds humanity in bondage and oppression, but one of mankind’s innate desires is to be free, even when we choose to disobey God’s directive. We see that outlined in Galatians 5:1. Sin creates the worst prison ever: that of enslaving the mind. Since our thoughts have the tendency to think evil continually (Genesis 6:5), to prepare for fasting, we must seek freedom. Repentance clears the path to breaking the chains that are created by obstacles so that our prayers will not be hindered.
Athletes are adorned with simple lightweight attire so that they can perform their tasks unrestricted. It behooves us believers to emulate that principle so that we can run the race of life well. We also have been given the charge of breaking every yoke. Cattle are restricted from going outside of boundaries set for them by being equipped with a yoke. This contraption limits their movement.
When ungodly things restrict spiritual development in our society, the resulting spiritual malnutrition can be eradicated by serving the Bread of Life. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.” John 6:35. We possess that food for the hungry soul. That provision is already made because Jesus fulfilled the payment that sin demanded.
Should we eat constantly without sharing the joy? Someone needs to be invited to come, taste and see that the Lord is good, Psalm 34:8. Besides sharing Christ, we are expected to be hospitable. The world will recognize us to be followers of Christ by the love we demonstrate. What does love do? It covers. Rather than exposing us, God covers us.
When we choose Christ’s example, we too should bring offenders under the covering of the blood that is still effective. Our natural inclination is to cover ourselves only. In approaching the altar of prayer, the parable of the publican and the Pharisee is a great guideline for us to remember. (Luke 18:10-13).
When my siblings and I were children, at the end of the summer break, when the time approached for us to return to school, Grandma gave us all a laxative. So, all the junk that we enjoyed during our free time from school, had to go. We would return to school with a clean slate.
Likewise, God wants us to empty ourselves of whatever may block the answer to our prayer and fast. That cleanse, paired with our consciousness of the need for the healing of the nation, will create our zeal for making right our wrongs.
In crying out to God we make our voice heard uninhibited. Then, we can warn the nation of their need to amend their ways. We take note that Isaiah addressed believers. He cut no corners in holding up the mirror of God’s Word to us.
We expect God to grant our requests when we fast and pray. However, the prophet outlines some not-so-pleasant realities. He says we are in wonder when we fast and pray and see no results. Then he lists bare hard facts: wrong motives and selfishness. In mending our ways, God promises that our life of light in Him shall be seen by everyone just like the sunrise on the earth.
How comforting it is to know that our requests are already done. But we must follow the steps given so that we can see the demonstration of God’s promises to us. We must approach prayer and fasting with a grace to obey the recipe God has given. If we break any yoke, we may have placed on ourselves or on anyone else, we are assured that our petitions, according to God’s will, are already done, (1 Jn 5:15)
Dr. O. A. James
REFLECTION
Discuss Isaiah 58:11.