Fasting is ancient.
It is not limited to Christian faith practices
but has long been used in various cultures, sometimes for religious ritual, and
sometimes as a body-cleansing technique. It can be used as a weight loss technique. And, as we see in the bible, fasting has been intended
as a means of drawing closer to God, to deepen our spirituality and our faith. Christians may fast when they carry a heavy burden,
seeking resolution from the Lord. In Isaiah’s
day, people practiced a self-denying type of fasting, the “sackcloth and ashes”
sort. Their practice devolved into mere ritual,
however, and its effect, says Isaiah, was that people just ended up angry and irritable.
Somehow, they lost the vision of what it
was supposed to accomplish.
So, God challenged
the Israelis on their fasting practices in the verse quoted above and in the verses
that followed. He said that the fast He chose
for them had two fundamental intentions: 1) breaking the bondage people have to
wickedness, and 2) providing for those in dire need. In other words, this was to be a fast in which
people were to deny themselves their self-centeredness rather than food. And that gives totally new definition to the concept
of fasting.
Maybe the kind
of fasting that most honors God is the kind where we deny ourselves from engaging
in self-centeredness, and by focusing instead on the needs of others. Come to think of it, maybe this kind of fasting
should be a daily practice.
Lord, Help us to turn away from self-centeredness and turn
instead toward You and the life You have called us to. Amen.
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