Isaiah 58:7 ” Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

In this entire chapter,  Isaiah is contrasting how the Children of Israel fasted, to what  true fasting was meant to be.  Fasting can become very self-centered…I’m denying myself, I’m going without, I’m abstaining from…I, I, I….you get the picture.   But Isaiah wanted them to know that true fasting wasn’t about them and what they were doing at all, but rather,  of reaching out to others around them.  And interestingly enough,  another meaning for fast – firm and secure – is exactly what the message of the Good News is.  And what better people to help the poor than Christians who can fill the need both physically and spiritually?

Author: kezha1

A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ. View all posts by kezha1