“The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
Isaiah 58: 11 (New King James version)
When we read the entire chapter we see God telling us about a fasting that is truly acceptable in His sight. Its not about a one day thing that will make us feel happy that we have done something for Him. It is a change in lifestyle itself. When we think about pleasing God we need to understand that its not about couple of things for Him , it might be teaching kids , it might be helping at church , any form of ministry .. Its not just about what we do . If we think ‘oh I did this and this and this , so I am right with God’ and then we go home and fight , or we walk with pride , or we have things in our life that is displeasing to God , then everything that we have done is not acceptable in His sight. God looks at the heart !
We read from Isaiah 58: 5, “Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?” We humbling ourselves before the Lord just on that one day is not what He requires. He doesn’t look at the external things that we do. He looks at the heart.
We read from verse 6 onwards of what God expects of us , the fast that is pleasing in His sight. In other words , the kind of the life we ought to be living
Verses 6-14 , “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “ If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. “ If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Take away the yoke, the pointing finger , speaking wickedness and extend our soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted , then our light will dawn in the darkness and Lord will continually guide us.
A lot of us like to just pick out verse 11 and read it in silo and think wow awesome. We need to read it in the entirety of the chapters. We just read the life that God wants us to lead. This lifestyle (verses 6-14) is acceptable in His sight. May this be our prayer today “Lord help us to live a life that is pleasing in Your Holy sight . Father help us to be doers of Your word. May our lives be a living testimony for Your glory. In Jesus name. Amen”
God Bless
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