Just like prayer, fasting is seen throughout Scriptures and was practiced in the New and Old Testaments. People fasted in times of grief and mourning (1 Samuel 31:13), in times of brokenness and repentance (1 Samuel 7:3-6), when seeking God’s will (Acts 13:1-3), and for guidance and blessings before making major decisions (Acts 14:23) and to show their love and worship for God (Luke 2:37). We know that Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights before he began his public ministry and before choosing His 12 disciples.
We are fasting from the lesser things because we are seeking the greatest One.
Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare to My people their wrongdoing, and to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, as a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions, they delight in the nearness of God. ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast for contention and strife, and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you have done today to make your voice heard on high! Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? Is this not the fast that I choose: To release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the ropes of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke?
Is it not to break your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will spring up quickly; And your righteousness will go before you; 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 I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, And if you offer yourself to the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday.
And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell (Isaiah 58:1-12, NASB).
Isaiah 58 is talking about:
False concepts of Fasting
The Fruit of Fasting
Fasting to Feasting
False concepts of fasting
Isaiah was called to expose a nation who thought they were God’s people simply because of their heritage but in reality had no real relationship with Him and, therefore, no real change in their hearts.
They thought that by fasting they could procure God’s favor and gain possessions, position, and power from Him. All the while their motivation for fasting was purely self-centered and they continued to mistreat their own people and though it wasn’t immediately obvious to others it was to Isaiah.
Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, as (LIKE) a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, they delight in the nearness of God (Isaiah 58:2).
God saw through their charade and knew they were not hungry for Him. Their form of fasting didn’t set them free from self and sin, but left them spiritually famished, unchanged in their hearts, unrepentant for their sin, untouched and unmoved by the needs of those around them.
They may have afflicted their bodies, but they did not deal with the real issues in their souls.
The Fruit of Fasting
Fasting is a time of humbling ourselves and seeking God’s face for wisdom and guidance. It is a time of brokenness and asking God for deliverance from personal sin, healing and restoration in your relationship with Him and others (2 Chron 7:14).
But it goes beyond personal repentance, beyond merely seeking God for our own needs - to taking care of the needs of our family, friends, and even strangers.
God says to His people,
Is this not the fast that I choose: To release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the ropes of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke?
Is it not to break your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Isaiah 58:6-7).
“Our fruit reveals our roots.”
The fruit of fasting is a renewed mind and heart this also results in a heart of generosity. The fruit of fasting is being set free to give back to God by giving to others with the blessings He has poured out on you.
If you are really seeking the Lord and you are focused on Him, then He will be with you, just like He was with the nation of Israel. He will guide you by day and be your light (life, hope) in the darkness. He will be your shield, the power that saves and protects you.
He will provide for you and will not only answer your prayers - He will use you to be the answer to other people’s prayers.
Then your life will be a bright light to others, God will use your life to give hope to those whose lives are in ruins. Fasting reminds us that God is more important than anything or anyone on this earth and only He can satisfy the deepest longings of your soul.
Fasting to Feasting
If, because of the Sabbath, you restrain your foot from doing as you wish on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a pleasure, and the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word,
Then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13-14).
God promises that when we, as His people, honor His Sabbath, ceasing from our work, from doing what we want, from doing our own pleasure and remind ourselves that He’s the One who provides for our needs, not us, then we will take pleasure in Him.
We will take pleasure in Him and He will make us ride on the high places of the earth and He promises to fill us with all spiritual blessings. This is what it means to feast with the Lord.
When we have a false concept of fasting that focuses on a superficial, ritualistic practice, it won’t accomplish anything but leave you hungry. But biblical fasting always produces fruit because it serves a greater end and purpose.
Fasting is a time when we empty ourselves so that we can feast with the Lord. As we seek the Lord’s face in these next three weeks of prayer and fasting, let’s put away selfish desires, stop the quarreling and contention and pointing fingers at others.
Instead, let’s ask God to speak to us, to guide and direct us this year, to give us oneness of vision.
Let’s pray that He would use our church to be a repairer of the breach, to help rebuild people’s lives, and to be a place of refuge. Let’s fast the way God has chosen.
