The Power of Fasting!
Dr RJ Sing · 1 min read
“Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush”
For the people here described, fasting was merely an accepted part of religious ritual, the kind of fasting practiced by the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Instead of real repentance or self-humbling, they continued with normal secular affairs and retained evil attitudes of greed, selfishness, pride and oppression.
This kind of fast that is well pleasing to God, on the other hand, springs from totally different motives and attitudes: “To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke” (verse 6). Scripture and experience alike confirm that there are many bonds that cannot be loosed, burdens that cannot be undone, yokes that cannot be broken, and many oppressed who will never go free until God’s people-and especially their leaders-obey God’s call to true fasting and Prayer.
Isaiah continues to describe our proper attitudes toward the needy and oppressed: “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? ”(Verse 7) Fasting must be sincere and practical charity in our dealings with those around us.
From the December 2010 issue, themed ‘The Blessing of the Lord Is on My Life’.
