The Right Kind of Fasting

“We have fasted before you,” they say. “Why aren’t you impressed?  Why don’t you hear our prayers?  We have done penance, and you don’t even notice it?”  Isaiah 58: 3  [The Living Bible]

I am sure that you like I at times wonder why God doesn’t answer our prayers.  We pray for something for a long time. We even have others help us pray. We know it is a good thing which would bring glory to God and also meet our need.  But God doesn’t do anything about it.

Isaiah writes about God’s people who were struggling with the same question.  They prayed and even fasted. They too asked God, why He took no notice of their requests. God doesn’t leave us in the dark but gives us answers why at times He cannot answer our prayers.

Sometimes our lives do not line up with our words.  We can pray beautiful prayers and say beautiful words about God but our actions do not show God’s character.  In Isaiah the people did not treat their workers fairly.  The people’s prayers were all about self righteousness, saying ‘see how spiritual we are; we pray, we fast’, but they did not practice justice. 

God wants us to live the Bible and not just read and quote verses to others.  We need to build a relationship with others; especially the needy as Jesus Christ did, and help them as Jesus did.  In the Bible God stresses very much that we are not saved to just be happy by ourselves and other Christians.  We are to bless others.

As a kid you may wonder how this can apply to you.  You can be a friend to someone in school that other kids ignore or shun.  If you are a math whiz you can tutor that kid sitting across the aisle from you that doesn’t understand math or any other subject.  If your family goes skiing or camping you can invite a kid whose family isn’t able to do these activities. 

We often see kids on the news raise money for animal rights or specific health issues.  This is great.  So what about us as Christians?  Maybe God has a mission for you to raise money for the needy in your neighborhood or the needy in a foreign country.

Listen to what God says at the end of Isaiah 58. “If you …honoring the Lord in what you do…then the Lord will be your delight, and I will see to it that you ride high, and get your full share of the blessings I promised to Jacob… The Lord has spoken.”