Welcome to Day 1 of our seventh annual 40 day prayer challenge!

We are in the middle of intense storms here in Mexico and have been experiencing ongoing power outages. This is the season, and it is a struggle each year. But each year we persist. Thank you so much for your prayers and patience in this! I’ll continue to get these shared with you as I can. ♥

(You can catch up with our Introduction post here if you missed it)

Let’s begin!

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Today, we are reading Isaiah 58

Isaiah 58:1-12

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
² For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶ “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?
⁷ 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?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

It feels fitting to begin this time, traditionally focused on fasting, with this passage. (We also focused on fasting during another 40 day challenge! You can see more in these posts:  Fasting part 1, part 2, part 3, and in our first challenge, our intro to fasting and prayer, and our conclusion, Hineni.

For some life decisions, we don’t have explicit biblical guidelines, such as where to live or what job to take. But for others, God has clearly laid out His will, like in the passage above. If we have the opportunity to loose the chains of injustice, we don’t need to wonder if it’s God’s will for us. He has already told us. If we have the choice to set the oppressed free, share our food with the hungry, provide the poor wanderer with shelter, clothe the naked, etc., we know it is God’s will for us to do so. We can seek prayer and Godly counsel for exactly how we go about doing these things, but it’s not up for debate whether we should do them.  God expects us to do them. We are the way God works in this world, and how can the world know Him if we neglect His priorities? His will is done through us.

Fasting is spiritually powerful. But if we don’t first care about the oppressed and in need, and how we treat others, then we cannot expect our voice to be heard on high. We cannot perform acts for God while turning away from those He loves. God has always been a God of relationship. God has always been on the side of the oppressed and in need. Our God models carrying absolute power and authority righteously. He shares His power with us, His Church, and expects us to carry it well. God expects us to use His power, authority, and provision to care for the least of these. Our God upholds the cause of the widow and the fatherless, of the oppressed, and in need, and the stranger. And He requires that we do the same. As we enter this time of prayer, preparing our hearts as we walk toward the Resurrection, may we have God’s heart toward those oppressed and in need. May God soften our hearts, and may we orient ourselves to His love and priority for the suffering and needs of others.

Before we had the Sermon on the Mount, we had this passage. The commands are not new to us or optional. They are fundamental for all who call themselves Christians. Lord, write this on our hearts. 

My heart is breaking for the US right now. I’ve been devastated at what the Lord has been revealing and bringing into the light. Of the unimaginable harm and evil that’s been hidden for far too long. It is now more important than ever for believers to be Christ-like. We must stand above the way of the world that sows division and hate, that terrorizes the vulnerable, for profit. We don’t get to be partisan.  The only side we have is Jesus. And He told us that what we do to the least of these, we do to Him. We are a people who love our neighbors and our enemies. We are a people who see the fast God chooses for us and work with Him to make it a reality for the oppressed and in need.

And so I’d like to pray for what’s going on in the world, and in my nation, and for what the Lord is doing and revealing in it. May we be on His side.

Father, we come to you with humble hearts, who want only your will in our lives. We want the fast you’ve chosen. Help us choose your fast. We want to be on your side against oppression and to provide for those in need. I ask you to empower us all to tear away the fog of spiritual warfare that puts partisan politics above your will for people. Above the fast you choose for us. We pray for the continued revealing of sins that for too long have oppressed and terrorized, and held captive. Father, we declare freedom for the captives, for those captive physically and spiritually. And we pray for your justice to break forth in the land. Let us be on your side in this, and let us be your hands and feet and words and deeds in this. We pray for a spirit of community and generosity. We pray for unity in all who claim your name, to stand together against oppressors. Humble the oppressors, and empower your people to choose the fast you desire of us. We ask for your provision and protection for those in need. Rise up believers who choose the kind of fast you want, Lord, and empower them to love and lead in this time. Quiet the voices of the oppressors and amplify the voices that speak your words of love. Let justice and freedom break out from shore to shore and on all lands. Let us be on your side Lord, and do your will in your Way. Continue to give us your perspective, for the world, and in each of our lives. In the matchless, mighty name of Jesus we pray together. Amen

 

Options for further  journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:

• Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
• Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
• Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.

 

We’ll see you tomorrow, for Day 2 in Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 !

♥ Samantha