Fasting, Freedom, Fulfillment by Bryan Craig
“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? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:6-8 ESV
Many years ago, when I had first rededicated my life to the Lord through Promise Keepers, I had begun the daily treasure hunt of seeking God in His Word. I awoke extra early every morning, with an exciting anticipation of what God was going to show me in His Word. It was a daily audience with the King of the Universe, who wanted to take time to show me something I needed to know. It was the first time in my life, in my early 30’s, that I realized that reading, meditating and journaling God’s Word was an encounter with God Himself.
One morning, I read Isaiah 58, as it talked about Fasting. At that time, I’d become somewhat acquainted with the idea of fasting. Somehow, despite going to church since the age of 13, I missed this concept and spiritual discipline, but I had begun to understand that people would deny themselves food or some other physical pleasure as a sacrifice unto the Lord. I first learned about this in the context of Lent, which is the season the Church celebrates right now, from Ash Wednesday to Easter. It was explained that when you give something up that is dear to you, every time you crave that thing, you can use it as an opportunity to give praise to Jesus for His sacrifice for us. Of course, whatever we might sacrifice is nothing compared to the sacrifice He made.
As I read Isaiah 58 that morning, the Lord asks this question:
“Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?” Isaiah 58:5 ESV
Upon further investigation, apparently, the people at that time were doing their religious practice of fasting and yet, they were quarreling, they were fighting, they were oppressing workers, and they were wanting God’s kudos for their fasting. This is yet another example of how quickly we can focus on Religion and religious practices and still miss the heart of God. God is upset with the people and uses Isaiah to set them straight.
God says, “Rather than going through the motions with your fast to appear holy and yet act wretchedly, I’d rather you bless others. Why don’t you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help your family, lift someone else’s burden? Then, you will please Me and you will experience righteousness, glory, healing, light.” (my interpretation)
As a young God-seeker, I was captivated by this chapter, and I decided I was going to try to live this passage out tangibly on that very day. I started with verse 7 of Isaiah 58. “Share your bread with the hungry”… okay…I bought 20 large pizzas and took them down to the homeless shelter. Check! “Bring the homeless poor into your house” …Hmmm…that one scares me a bit. I skipped that one. “Clothe the naked”…okay… I cleaned out my closet and brought 3 bags of clothes down to a church in the poor side of town. Check!
As I was delivering the clothes, an African man was sitting in a car at the church in the parking lot, and he got out and approached my car. I was a bit uneasy, and then, I discovered he was from Uganda. He said he believed God had sent him to the United States to preach to Americans, that God wanted to send Revival to the United States. This was so interesting to me. I’d heard of Americans going on mission trips to preach and to serve people in other countries, but this was the first time I heard someone from Africa saying America needed to hear some preaching. As much as I wanted to say, “God bless you,” and drive off quickly, I knew this strange encounter happened on the day I was trying to live out Isaiah 58. Verse 6 says, “Loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the straps of the yoke, let the oppressed go free, break every yoke.
So, I got out of my comfort zone and helped this stranger from Africa. It’s a much longer story, but I will tell you that this Isaiah 58 experience went way beyond what I had expected. Within a few days, a large tent was erected in the parking lot of my friend’s poor church in the roughest part of town, along with a few hundred chairs, a rented stage and sound system, and The Miracle Crusade was birthed. A praise team was recruited, flyers were passed out and each night, we would gather under this tent in expectation of miracles. My new Ugandan friend would preach each night, wearing borrowed suits and imitating some of the big evangelists he had seen on TV.
It was a bit strange, and people in my life thought I was crazy for organizing it. I was young, faithful and obedient, yet spiritually immature and not very discerning. I’m still not quite sure what that was all about or if it bore fruit for God’s Kingdom. But this morning, I was reading Isaiah 58 again, and I noticed something at the end of the chapter. In verse 12, it says, “Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.”
That line is the same language as in Isaiah 61:1-4. You may know that I believe this passage to speak of the work we are doing with Influencers…. “bringing good news to the poor….binding up the brokenhearted….proclaiming liberty to the captives…the opening of the prison to those who are bound…proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor… comforting those who mourn…bringing them the oil of gladness and a garment of praise….they shall become oaks of righteousness… they shall build up the ancient ruins and raise up the former devastations.”
Yes, I believe when we take people through The Journey and they begin to Abide with Christ, He starts to change everything as He heals hearts, opens eyes, sets people free, gives them joy and gladness and they transform into Oaks of Righteousness who begin to impact their cities in many ways.
For the first time, I saw a connection between Isaiah 58 and Isaiah 61. Revivals don’t happen because of our religious practices or our self-righteousness, and they cannot be manufactured by planning big events. Revival happens when we understand how much God loves us and then, we share that love with those around us, until they finally realize this love and are set free. The more this happens, the more there will be a forest of Oaks of Righteousness in every city, to be seen by all, and these Oaks will rebuild the cities, transformed by the love of God. I see this happening in Bakersfield, Tulsa, NWA, Wichita, Temperance, MI, Memphis and many other places.
Brothers and sisters, that man from Uganda was right in one thing…we need Revival in America, and I think God is using Influencers to help make this happen, one soul at a time. May God use you to enact “true fasting” as you become a “living sacrifice” and become a part of his amazing plans.