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? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

I must confess that I really do not like fasting. At least in the traditional sense of the term.

No food. Growling stomach. Dizziness. Lack of concentration. All of these things and more can make it difficult to go without.

Yet I also know that millions of people around the world do without one or more meals daily, not by choice but by happenstance. If it were up to them, they would never want nor would they need to see their children suffer. It is difficult enough to go without food yourself, but when your children are starving nothing else matters.

Isaiah 58 should be read by everyone before they decide to abstain from food. When the chapter was written, people were fasting but doing so for all of the wrong reasons. In fact, God rebuked the Israelites who were more concerned with outward appearances than they were with the things of God. Those “things” included helping the oppressed, removing burdens and caring for the poor. In God’s perspective abstaining from food wasn’t His chosen fast, rather helping others was.

So does Isaiah tell us not to fast from food? No. But it does tell us to have our priorities straight before we fast.

Recently I completed a one-day fast, the first “food free” fast I’ve done in years. For several days prior to my fast, I felt God leading me to abstain from eating, something I wouldn’t have done on my own. I’ve fasted from food many times over the years, but not recently. Instead, I’ve attempted to live out Isaiah 58 particularly the two verses I have included here.

In my case fasting was purely for personal enrichment. And it wasn’t on a day when I was able to get away and pray for hours or read the Bible. Instead, I had to spend that day working on my taxes while offering up a prayer here and there. I also read one Psalm during the middle of a much too busy day.

Why did I fast? To draw closer to God. Specifically, I was looking for clarity from God regarding my business and direction for my life. Maybe not reason enough for some people to fast, but something I needed to discover.

I won’t go into detail, but I have seen God’s hand move since my fast ended. No Red Sea was parted nor did I see a sign in the heavens. Instead, God opened up an opportunity that may very well lead to something beyond my personal expectations. Importantly, He worked through my personal circumstances—I would have preferred solitude, but God faithfully touched me where I was at.

I can’t wait for the next time God calls me to fast and pray!

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So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar — 2 Samuel 9:4

Lo-debar was a desolate place, a town in Gilead devoid of pasture. By the sound of it, Lo-debar had nothing much going for it, but it was home of Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul.

Leaving Lo-debar

Yesterday, our Pastor — Rodney Finch — preached a message titled, “Come Out of Lo Debar” where he compared the life of Mephibosheth to our own lives before we came to faith in Jesus Christ: barren, empty and desperately needing a blessing.

Are you still living in Lo-Debar?

In 2 Samuel 4 we first learn of Mephibosheth who was at that time just five years old and being cared for my a nurse. Frightened because both Saul and Jonathan were dead and fearing that a similar fate awaited the boy, the nurse fled the scene, carrying him in her arms. But, in the process of running away she dropped the boy which caused him to become permanently lame in both feet.

For Jonathan’s Sake

A generation later David is found inquiring if anyone in the House of Saul is still alive, wanting to show them kindness for Jonathan’s sake. Though Saul showed David much evil, Jonathan showed David extraordinary kindness, something that David wanted to extend to Saul’s survivors.

Mephibosheth was found living in Lo-debar with his young son and was immediately brought to his household to dine at David’s table, a place of honor befitting a family member. David also restored Mephibosheth’s inheritance to him, appointing Saul’s servant, Ziba, to minister to him. With fifteen sons and twenty servants, the retinue of people assigned to Mephibosheth was quite large.

6 Points About Mephibosheth

Interestingly, there are six things about Mephibosheth which should be noted:

1. Mephibosheth’s name means “shameful one.”
2. By living in Lo-debar, Mephibosheth was missing out on the best. That city’s name is translated as desolate, barrenness, etc.
3. Mephibosheth would have perished without David’s help.
4. David made no mention to Mephibosheth about his lame feet, rather he wanted Jonathan’s son to receive the blessing due him.
5. Mephibosheth said nothing about his own feet although in verse 8 he did refer to himself as a “dead dog” perhaps fearing that David wished him harm.
6. No one else in David’s household made issue of Mephibosheth’s handicap.

Perhaps the most important lesson in the life of Mephibosheth is that he accepted David’s grace graciously. Which brings me to an important point: do we accept God’s grace graciously or do we continue to focus on our past life and the sins which separated us from fellowship with God?

Your Inheritance Awaits

The Bible doesn’t indicate whether Mephibosheth was ever healed of his lameness, but 2 Samuel 9 certainly shows that the grandson of Saul received his inheritance. We may go through this life with our own set of physical and emotional problems, but our inheritance can be restored too provided we put our trust in Jesus Christ.

Remember grace is: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Think about it!

Photo Credit: Ali Taylor

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The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,a to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness,a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

I almost hate to quote these three verses in Isaiah apart from the remainder of the chapter as all eleven verses are so instructive as well as encouraging.

Mind you, when I set out to develop this article, I had only one verse in mind and a snippet of it at that — “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…” — which is a portion of Isaiah 61:3. The entire word of God is meant for our digestion which means that even a portion of one verse can minister so very powerfully.

Beauty For Ashes

I’ve honed in on “beauty for ashes” portion of the verse for one reason and that was to serve as reminder to me that God sees me differently than how I see myself.

Sure, God has seen my sin and how ugly it was, accurately understanding my depravity in a way that I’ll never be able to fully comprehend at least on this side of eternity.  Beyond that, while we humans tend to focus on our shortcomings, blunders, outright disobedience and a host of sinful thoughts and practices, God looks at us differently — He sees us as we will soon be, not as we are.

And that kind of Godly perspective is what every believer must hold onto throughout their lives.

Outer Beauty Fades, Inner Beauty Grows

I’m not talking about exterior beauty which soon fades, but the inner beauty given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, there is a sanctification (cleansing) process that takes place while we’re on this earth which will ultimately bring us to Him looking far different than what we once were.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Certainly, we are “beauty in the making” which means that we’re transitioning from something that is wretched, godless and awful to become people who are godly, lovely and beautiful.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. (1 John 3:21-22)

Of course, if we’re feeling pretty “ashen” of late there could be sin that needs to be dealt with, so tackle that sin and then walk in the assurance that your heart isn’t condemned and that you are pleasing before God.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Created For Good Works

Know that God not only sees you differently than how you see yourself, but He wants you to know that he made you and that you were created for good works. Walk out your faith believing that God sees you as a vessel of honor and you’ll be trading your ashes for beauty in no time!

Are we perfect yet? No, we’re a work in progress. But even a work in progress begins to take shape, transforming from an ugly lump of clay into a vessel of honor, worthy of God’s praise.

See Also — What Does It Profit A Man?

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