To Fast

To fast: (v.) Abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink, esp. as a religious observance.

My pastor at Summit Church spoke on the topic of fasting this past week from the angle of Isaiah 58. He didn’t speak to the actual practice of it, per say, but more towards it’s point or what God wishes of us through the practice. In the chapter, Israel complains because they faithfully practice many rituals to God, including fasting, and God doesn’t reward them for effort, time, or energy spent. In fact, He doesn’t reward them at all, or doesn’t seem to anyway.

What we have here is yet another case of misdirected worship… not hard to see that if you read the context. It becomes an easy observation looking back through time and pointing a finger to a nation’s self-seeking motives, or even seeing them in someone you know, but it can be hard to recognize this trait or pattern in yourself. I think it’s funny how God made us this way.

I fasted a couple times in the last few years when I was seeking answers for certain things, and I learned 2 things from those experiences. One: how much I love and depend on food and hate going without it… especially intentionally… it’s a crazy practice. And two: how it’s really not that crazy, because I became so much more grateful for what I have been given… especially cheeseburgers. I really didn’t get any answers (the reward I was looking for), but rather gratefulness and contentment for what I already had.

Anyways, in the chapter, Isaiah explains to the nation that their fasting is not even the kind of fasting God is asking of them for this reason. He shows that the difference lies in the heart behind the act and goes into details (v. 6-13) of redefining fasting as a lifestyle spent for God and others rather than an occasional practice of refraining from food. This is not to say that one shouldn’t fast in the traditional sense, but rather to think of it as a moment of worship in a life of worship. Make sense?

The overall encouragement from God is that His people should identify and withdraw from things they think they need, look to find delight in Him without them, and offer what they’ve been blessed with for the benefit of their neighbor. This is a broad lifestyle encouragement, not a specific ritual command. The reward of the text is then found in v. 14: “Then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”

So… a challenge for this week. Step 1: identify what you need, what you want, and what you think you need. Step 2: find a time in the week to sacrifice something from one of these categories to bless someone else with it.