Outreach 4

Isaiah 58:6-7

From time to time the idea of fasting comes up. The concept is that a person should go without eating solid food for a day, or several days during the daylight hours, so that the person might focus on spiritual matters. The belief is that the absence of food sharpens your mind and allows for a more focused connection to God. Every time you feel hungry during a fast you should offer a prayer and concentrate again on God.

I have always had trouble with fasting. I suppose I am just a glutton at heart. But Isaiah offers some insight into fasting. What kind of fasting does God desire? How do these acts of kindness serve as a fast?

The strict concept of “fasting” is giving up food, but the general idea of a fast is that we give up something. The first part of Isaiah 58 is a comment on the attitudes of the Israelites. Isaiah claims that people wonder why they have fasted when there seems to be no response from God. According to Isaiah, God is saying that their fast is not sincere and perhaps a bit superficial.

If fasting is giving up something it is possible that we may need to give up something other than food. We may need to give up our own desires and comforts to allow God’s work to be done. We may need to give up our own ambitions so that we can do more for others who are in need.

If we do nothing to help the needy and the poor aren’t we permitting the chains of poverty and want to confine them? If we do nothing to promote justice aren’t we keeping the oppressed in the yokes of injustice?

Just as abstaining from food sharpens our focus on God, giving up on our own pleasures and comforts can help us remain focused on those who need our help. The fast we are called to may not be a fast of food. It may be that we need to give up ourselves so that our focus can be on helping those living in true need.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Can you do something to help the needy today?