Isaiah 58 (HCSB)
True Fasting
1 “Cry out loudly, don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a trumpet. Tell My people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They seek Me day after day and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.”
3 “Why have we fasted, but You have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but You haven’t noticed!” “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers.
4 You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.
5 Will the fast I choose be like this:
A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 Isn’t the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.
9 At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,
10 and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.
11 The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry.
12 Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live.
13 “If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking too much;
14 then you will delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 9, 11): Father, I tend to default to leaning on my own strength and knowledge to get through many of my daily struggles. Please forgive me for not leaning on You, for not crying out to You, for not allowing You to lead me. You give me so many tools to use in this faith journey that are perfect, yet for some reason I keep using the broken ones. Remind me to lean on You and the tools You provide, Father.
PROMISE (verse 11): Thank You for this promise, Father. Far too often I think I’m alone and default to trying to do things on my own. You promise that You are ALWAYS there to lead us, to satisfy us, and to strengthen us. Thank You so much for Your faithfulness even though I struggle often.
ATTITUDE (verses 9-10): For far too long I’ve had an attitude of “finger-pointing and malicious speaking.” Although I am getting better with this attitude, I still fail often. Please continue to work in me, Father, so that I can embrace more of Jesus’ attitudes and less of the world. Help me to always think clearly with You as the focus of my mind through all situations that spark these negative attitudes in me, Father.
COMMAND (verses 1, 9): You command us, Father, to always seek You and to always cry out to You will all we are and through everything we’re going through. Help me to establish this as my default, Father, so that my instincts become one with Your will, Your ways, and Your truths.
EXAMPLE (verses 13-14): In these two short verses, Father, You give us the perfect example of the mindset we’re to have when we fast. You tell us to do it delightfully, honorably, never giving into our own ways or selfish desires/pleasures, keeping our words few, and quite simply honoring and focusing on delighting in You through it all. This isn’t just a great example for fasting, but also one for living life in this broken world in general. Thank You so much for providing examples to follow so we can live a better life more aligned with Your will, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: Why do I struggle so much with accepting my faults and recognizing when I am in the wrong, Father? Why do I always have to let my pride and ego get in the way of what’s right in Your eyes, Father? Why do I struggle so much with pointing fingers at other people when I should be pointing them back at myself? Help me with all of these struggles, Father, so that I may be more humble and glorify You through all that I say, do, and react to.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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