Bread for the hungry
Today's focusGod says the fast he chooses includes freeing the oppressed, sharing bread with the hungry, welcoming the poor and clothing the naked.
Read
6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: 11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Reflection
When we fast, we often focus on what we are giving up. However, this passage reveals "the fast that I have chosen" involves a reach outward. God invites you to look beyond your own hunger to the needs of those around you. True fasting is not just about avoiding food; it is an active movement "to loose the bands of wickedness" and "to break every yoke." It means to "deal thy bread to the hungry" and to provide shelter for "the poor that are cast out."
As you "draw out thy soul to the hungry," God promises a beautiful transformation in your own life. When you stop "speaking vanity" and instead "satisfy the afflicted soul," the Lord promises that "thy light shall rise in obscurity." Even in difficult times, He will "satisfy thy soul in drought" and make you "like a watered garden." By choosing the fast of compassion and justice, you find that as you care for "thine own flesh," the Lord answers your cry with the comforting assurance, "Here I am."
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
Who in your community could you serve or share with during these 21 days, as part of your fast?
Pray
Lord, let my fasting be joined to mercy and justice. Show me the hungry, the poor and the burdened near me, and give me a willing heart to help. Guide me continually, as you promise.