Fasting Blesses Others

From January 1-21, Riverwood is once again doing "21 Days of Prayer & Fasting." For 2025, we are seeking to cherish God through His Word. But as we focus on Psalm 119 each day and in our Sunday Worship Gatherings, here on the blog we want to focus on the other part of the 21 Days - fasting. To do this, we will look at Isaiah 58, considering The Blessings of Fasting.

Last week, we looked at how fasting blesses you. This week, we will consider how your fasting can be a blessing for others.

We are nearing the halfway mark in our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. How's your fast going? Are you having painful moments in your fast, like...

• hunger pangs?
• anger that you can't enjoy a sugary treat?
• frustration because you missed the big sporting event everyone is talking about at work?
• or feeling left out because your peer group keeps mentioning things from social media?

When those moments arise, it can be natural to get a bit grouchy and make people around us wish we weren't fasting! But God tells us through Isaiah 58 the opposite should be true. Rather than make people wish we hadn't engaged in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, our fasting should actually bless others. Look at verses 6 and 7 with me:

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

If you remember our previous post on Isaiah 58, some of the Jewish people were fasting from food in hopes they could change God's heart to do some things for them. They thought God would be pleased with their spiritual efforts and deeply impressed if they gave up food.

But God called the people to fast so that they would change! If you look at Isaiah 58:6-7 above, you notice...

• God wanted them to experience hunger so they could identify with the hungry.
• He wanted them to go without food so they might have more to give to those who regularly missed a meal.
• He wanted them to go without so He might develop within them a soft heart toward those who have not.

In other words, God wanted the people humbled so they might be changed from self-focused to others-focused, which would make a difference in the lives of others.

What's Your Response to Your "Hunger Pangs"?

All of this tells me we should have two responses in our painful moments due to fasting:

1. Emotional Response

First, our own struggle in the midst of our fast should help us understand those who face a similar struggle far more regularly than we do. Our hearts should be softened to the plight of the less fortunate - whether it be physical poverty or emotional poverty. Fasting should produce genuine sympathy within us.

As the famous quote says: "You can't understand someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Fasting gives you a chance to try on someone else's "shoes."

2. Physical Response

Second, the pain we feel in our fasting should lead us to do more than just empathize; it should change how we live toward others, desiring to help bear their burdens (Galatians 6:2).

• If you are giving up coffee for these 21 Days, could you donate the money you would have spent on your roasted caffeine to an organization like Compassion International?
• Or if you gave up a meal or an entire day without food, could you give the time you would have spent eating to volunteer at something like the Waverly Mobile Food Pantry?
• Or if you gave up social media, could you redeem the time by writing actual letters to people or inviting someone over for dinner?

In Closing

And so...

• ...when you have a hunger pang, allow it to make you more connected with those facing food insecurity.
• ...when you can't have the soda or sugar you want so badly, may it lead you to pray for those who regularly go without the basics and necessities of life.
• ...when you feel left out because everyone is talking about social media, may it lead you to look for others who feel left out and befriend them.

May your fast not only help you be more connected with your loving Heavenly Father, but may it connect you more with those in our world whose biggest need is the gospel. And allow that connection to make you a blessing to each and every one.