Isaiah 58:10-11

I was reading and praying and asking God to reveal something to me today in His word, and I came upon Isaiah 58:10-11. I read it and it kinda just stood out. So I started to think about it. I then read the entire chapter and I just saw things in there that have come up lately. It talks about people living right but that they feel that their prayers are not being heard and that God isn't answering them. I guess that is how I have been feeling at times. I feel that I cry out to God and ask Him to answer and I hear nothing... So that part really made me keep reading. If others were and are like this, then what did they do?or what does this section go on to say and how to change that? So I read more.... It talks about fasting then. I started to think I don't really fast to take time out to pray. When i "fast" or not eat it's usually because I am too busy to. I also feel that missing one meal wont hurt and will actually help me lose weight. But when I read it goes on to say that you fast for the wrong reason, you fast for your own personal gain. I guess that I can identify with that because I feel that if i don't eat that is one pound i will hopefully lose and not gain and then when I do see that scale lower I feel better about not eating that meal. So my "fasting", so to say, is for my own personal gain and not to gain wisdom from God or to pray for someone or something in my life, or to get closer to Him. When was the last time you actually fasted and actually took time out to pray and petition God for something in your life? For me, its been a WHILE. It goes on to say what God wants to see from a "fast day". 58:6-9
"This is the kind of fast day I'm after: 
   to break the chains of injustice, 
   get rid of exploitation in the workplace, 
   free the oppressed, 
   cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is: 
   sharing your food with the hungry, 
   inviting the homeless poor into your homes, 
   putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, 
   being available to your own families.


From the first paragraph we see a real change. God wants us to fast to see real change in our lives. The second thing i see about fasting which I never really thought of before was that it seems like it should inspire us to be better and do better things. Not for our own personal gain but for the benefit of those around us. it says God is interested in seeing us feed the hungry, help provide and share with those who do not have homes, provide to the  people who have no clothes, AND one that kinda shocked by seeing here is being available to your own families. I think: why is that with helping those you see in need? But helping people who need and being available to your family is all something that is important to God. I guess God doesn't want you to neglect your own family while you are doing the things in ministry. God created the family and He wants it to thrive and if you are too busy with doing other things for other people you will end up neglecting your family. But if you make sure to be available to your own family while you are doing these good things for the people in need you will succeed I guess.... Family is huge to God. I think that is why satan is out there to come against the family. that is why you see so many struggle to keep their families together. You see this in the world and in the church. I kept reading and found next the benefits of doing this. 
Do this and the lights will turn on, 
   and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way. 
   The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer. 
   You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'


It says do this and the lights will turn on. To me that means you wont feel like you are living in darkness anymore. I know that sometimes I just feel down and like I am in darkness, like the joy has left. To me I see a renewed joy. It says that your lives will be turned around. Maybe your feeling low or down, but it says that if you do these things your life will turn around from dark and gloomy to bright and joyous. "the God of glory will secure your passage". This shows me that God will protect you on this journey you call life. He will get you through those hard time that will and do come up. Then when you pray it says He will answer! You wont feel like your hitting a glass ceiling when you pray! It says you will call out for help and He will say "Here I am"!!! 
It then goes on to say what things you should not do and what some things you should and the outcome. This part kinda opened my eyes.... 
²"If you get rid of unfair practices, 
   quit blaming victims, 
   quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry 
   and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, 
   your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go. 
   I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— 
   firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden, 
   a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, 
   rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything, 
   restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, 
   make the community livable again.


So it basically start by saying be fair in what you do, stop blaming others for things, and stop talking about others and what they have done. I think that this gets all people. Everyone has done these things and sometimes its hard not to as humans. But i think that if we really try and keep ourselves in check in these areas God will show us great things! I know that I have done these things. Some more than others I think. I have blamed, and have not really talked about people's "sins" but dwelt on them in my own head too much. I need to give up some of those thoughts and turn them over to God and I really feel and know that He will bless me for doing that. I have been doing really well with that and know that He sees the areas I have been working on in my own life. These next things are things we should be doing and as Christians and being part of a church body should be doing on our own and with the church I think. It says to be generous to the hungry. and start giving yourselves to the "down and outs". These two things I know I could do better and I know more churches could as well. Sometimes we give to the hungry but are we really being generous with our giving to them? and do we give ourselves or any time to those who are down and oppressed and need to rise up out of the area that they are in? I have to say that it has been a while since i did... but if we do these things the reward is incredible. I look at these verses right above from my own life view and from the church view. I feel that if we do this on a personal level the next verses will happen but I also see that if the church starts really reaching out that God will bless that church body as well. Lets take a look at those verses. It first says your lives will glow. You will be the light of God, you will be God's hands and feet and make people happy and they will see what you did and they will see the love of God that is inside you. Next it says  your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. The life that you once felt darkness and maybe depression will begin to be light and bathed in sunlight. I also see this as people seeing the difference in you and that before you started helping people you didn't shine, you didn't make an impact so people didn't see you for what God sees in you. But you will begin to shine for God and make an impact by loving on people and people will notice. I see this from a church point of view as well. I see that if a church starts to really reach out and help those in need they will be noticed. God will make them shine and people will be drawn because they are showing TRUE love and TRUE Christianity! It says if you do these things that God will always direct you and show you were to go. You will not feel he is gone from you, you will see His hand and His direction in your church or in your personal life! Even though you might have felt empty in the past, He will give you a full life, a purposeful life, a life with meaning! It next says "firm muscles and strong bones". God will give us strength for when we need it! We will have that strength in place for when the hard times come we can get through! your water wont run dry! You wont be thirsty... I guess that tells me that God will provide. 
"You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, 
   rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything, 
   restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, 
   make the community livable again."These verses speak to me in a few different ways. It tells me that the things that you had to deal with in the past and that you had to get through, you will help others with and help them rebuild their lives or maybe even ministries. You will help build people up, you will help build up people who are going through what you went through and you will be known as one who can fix anything. You will be known to restore and rebuild and renovate. You will be known to help make the community livable again. These verses speak to me in such a huge way. I cannot even describe what I feel and the HOPE that I feel when I read these verses. I am not going to go into to much more because I just don't like to talk about a few things, but what i see here for me in two different way is hope! and i also see purpose here. which is two things that i have been needing in a great way! 


If you watch your step on the Sabbath 
   and don't use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, 
   God's holy day as a celebration,
If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,' 
   making money, running here and there—
Then you'll be free to enjoy God! 
   Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." 
   Yes! God says so!
The last section here talks of respecting and honoring the Sabbath and using as a day of joy, and joy in God. And a HOLY CELEBRATION! It says if you do this then you will be free to enjoy God!! I need and want to be free to enjoy God! He will make you ride high and sore above it all!  This is a portion of scripture that I can put into practice in many ways (so can you) in my life and through ministry. It is a portion that give me vision, purpose and a hope! I hope you see the same thing! enjoy the LONG read. lol