As for Me and My House – Day 17

DAY 17: SOCIAL JUSTICE STARTS IN THE CHURCH

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 them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 

How do we please the Lord with our fasting? He says here in Isaiah that He wants us to break the chains of injustice, to set captives free, to share our food with the hungry, and to provide shelter for people who don’t have it. Jesus said simply, we should clothe the naked, feed the poor, and help prisoners, widows, and orphans. 

Maybe we can’t solve every social injustice, but certainly, we can find someone beyond ourselves who’s hungry or poorly clothed or homeless. During this time of fasting let’s listen to the Lord and then participate in acts that demonstrate our commitment to what He cares about. 

QUESTIONS Do you fast on a regular basis for the things Isaiah mentions? In what ways can you care for those who have such needs? 

PRAYER I repent, Lord, of not thinking more about those You care for so much. Help me to hear what You are saying to me right now. Help me to follow through and do what You ask me to do—to help the hungry and the homeless and to clothe those who need it. 

ACTION Decide to make an effort to be aware of people around you with basic needs, then give or share with them as God guides you.