Seriously. I’ve been wrong for years. I’ve called Isaiah 58 the “fasting chapter” for as long as I can remember.
But recently, I was asked to join someone in fasting a day a week. I suggested that they read Isaiah 58, since it’s the “fasting chapter.” But when I got up the morning of the fast and turned to this well-read chapter, I realized something else.
It’s not talking about fasting, even though it is mentioned in this chapter.
First off, let me say that I actually love fasting. Okay, so I don’t love fasting, but I love its effects. Turning off the flesh in this most basic of ways opens up the spirit man. Usually, I find some hidden treasure in the Word, and God speaks to me on some specific matter or gives me direction. This was the case again.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God is calling out His people, Israel. God is actually telling them that fasting is meaningless without godly actions and a pure heart. They were fasting to “move God,” or we might even say they were trying to manipulate Him. As if that were even possible. They definitely were not seeking God with a pure and holy heart.
In fact, in verse 6, God tells them the “kind of fast” that He wants. It’s not at all about going without food. It’s clearly outlined and includes a LOT of action.
- Free those wrongly imprisoned
- Stop oppressing those who work for you
- Treat your servants or your employees fairly
- Give them what they earn
- Share your food with the hungry
- Welcome the poor wanderers into your home (it was a very different time!)
- Give clothes to those who need them
- Do not hide from relatives who need you
The next verse says, if you do these things – not fast, but the things on the list- then there is a series of things that will break out in your life. These include:
- Salvation coming like the dawn of day
- Healing comes quickly
- Godliness will lead you forward
- God’s glory will protect you from behind
- You’ll call on God, and He will answer quickly
But it wasn’t the fasting that unlocked the storehouse of heaven. It was living His Word. It was walking it out in real time and obeying God.
Why fast, then?
So, if I’m not going to get what I want, why fast? I’m coming to learn that fasting isn’t just abstaining from food. Seriously, what is going without sustenance going to help?
In scriptures, people fasted for many different reasons.
- As an act of repentance
- To hear from God or get direction
- Daniel fasted for clarity (Daniel 9)
- Jesus fasted in the wilderness
Fasting appears in Scripture a lot! And something really does shift in the spiritual realm when you subdue the flesh and deny it food for a time. With that shift comes clarity, direction, and breakthrough. But the fast is about the position of the heart. That’s what is being revealed here in Isaiah 58.
God is saying that He isn’t going to hear them just because they fast. There’s more to the story. It’s about getting your heart in the right place to hear. To receive. To be changed.
Fast anyway
Even if none of that makes sense, fast anyway! And don’t let anyone judge your fast, either! Fast to hear God, rather than talk God into hearing you. Set aside your norm for a day, a week, 21 days, or a meal. Seek God without expecting Him to “do” something for you. Amazing things happen when you position your heart to hear God and purpose to walk in His ways.
It’s worth the journey.
On my most recent fast, I was actually praying for others. I had a specific list of people and situations I was praying for during the fast. While I was praying for them and studying the Word, I found some answers to questions I had. There were breakthroughs I had been praying for that happened, even though it wasn’t the focus of my prayers or time of fasting.
Lean in. Learn more.
Position your heart to hear His heart better by fasting for a time. It doesn’t have to be long. And it certainly doesn’t have to be showy. It just needs to be sincere. It will change you, I promise!
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