We saw that Isaiah castigated the Israelites for thinking that going through the ritual of fasting they would impress God and fulfill their religious obligation before Him. Then he shares what God is really looking for when someone fasts. What he says is fascinating. 

 

Listen to God in Isaiah 58:6-7, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke: 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?” 

 

What God is looking for is a life of compassion for the hurting and underprivileged. He wants us to live righteously in all our dealings with others. If in our caring for others we find ourselves not able to do what we want to do then seeking God by fasting is authentic. God delights in our desire to have Him show Himself adequate in our behalf. Even if we fail in carrying out all the details of our fast He remains faithful and loves us for trying. 

 

Paul put it this way in 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” Fasting is a way for us to admit our weakness and total dependence on God, as we humbly bow before Him, craving Him and His power more than our craving for food and drink.