Sugar Fast Day 28
The 40 Day Sugar Fast by Wendy Speake has me in Isaiah 58 this morning. My Bible heading for this chapter is True and False Fasting. In this chapter the people were fasting, but their motives were wrong. They were fasting for fasting sake; to appear as though they were seeking God. But in reality they were fasting for their own selfish reasons and then were upset with God for not noticing their fasting. What they needed was right motives.
“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. 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.” “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. 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. 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? (Isaiah 58:1-5)
God isn’t looking for us to fast so we look good on the outside. He wants us to fast so we draw close to Him in order to look more like His son. Love the Lord your God and love others as yourself. These are the two most important commands. I like the way Wendy Speake put it, “We need to turn our hearts away from self-focused fasting to other-focused fasting.” (Page 122)
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? 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? (Isaiah 58:6-7)
Bringing It Home
I went into this fast for two reasons. First, I wanted and knew I needed to consume less sugar. It was a health decision. Second, I wanted to draw nearer to God. I wanted to hear from Him more regularly. With each day of the fast my goals are being met. The less sugar I consumed the more I hear God and His desires for my life. I am particularly aware of this in my work and have been reaping the benefits of being other-regarding there. But then I read Isaiah 58:7 and realized I may be other-regarding at work, but not so much in my relationship, with my father.
Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. (Isaiah 58:7)
I lost my Mom to pancreatic cancer in May of 2020. Since that day I have struggled to live out of a consistent “other-regarding” and loving spirit with my Dad. This is a painful truth pill to swallow. It is a truth I have been trying to ignore and rationalize, but God couldn’t have been more clear with me this morning. I have been “hiding from family members who need my help”. But no more. It is time to confess this sin and surrender to God and allow him to work in me; mold me and change my heart to be more loving. It is time to follow with right motives.
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. (Ezekiel 36:26)