Learning about Fasting
I have been thinking about fasting recently and God keeps letting it pop up in my mind. I cannot make the thought leave my head for too long because God always makes it return. Why?
What does He want me to fast for?
I DO NOT want to seek attention by any means, and I might actually need help with that. I have often found my mouth open in order to complain and draw attention rather than build others up, and glorify God, and build myself up (in a healthy way). But as I was reading John tonight, I went back into Isaiah to look for a reference. I saw chapter 58 titled, “True Fasting.”
These are some of the verses, or tidbits that stood out to me;
“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.”
And this is so true! I often go home and the first thing that I do is unload my “baggage”. Sometimes I don’t even know what that baggage is. I just unload it and pour it all out on my family. They don’t deserve that in the slightest. They’re all kind and their days have been just as hard, and sometimes worse. As soon as I get in the car I need to stop letting myself be frustrated at once. I NEED to focus on what good the LORD has done in the day!
“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?”
I have obviously not read much yet and I have much research to do, but I need to read on. It is rather late, so I need to get to sleeping soon. I like this.
When fasting for something, some purpose there is some sort of laying something down at the foot of the cross. They did not have this happen yet while this book was written, but they laid themselves out for God in order to be renewed it sounds like. I think this is so right, to give food to the poor instead of doing nothing with the resources we have and just waiting to eat it later, do something with it in the now. It is such a humbling experience and I cannot wait to do more research and actually get into it!
