Devotion 

Fasting for the Lord

Frances Taylor 

Do these phrases look familiar? When Jesus talks about the last judgment, and he separates the sheep from the goats, as described in Matthew's gospel, he lists these examples of how we will be judged. Have we fed the hungry, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless?

For God, offering sacrifice was meaningless unless our lives were in sync with our prayers. Fasting is one of the practices of Lent. But what kind of fasting are we willing to do? Are we willing to really put ourselves out there and look at what the Lord calls "fasting?" Isaiah gives us some good examples and he goes on to say we need to eliminate malicious speech as well.

Can you imagine going for 40 days without hearing gossip, cursing, foul language, put-downs, racial or ethnic slurs? No violence of any sort coming out of anyone's mouth? What a peaceful 40 days that would be! And if there's no violence of speech, perhaps there would be less violence in every area of life. How many fights begin because someone felt insulted? How many fights escalate because the friends of the one who felt insulted gang up on the friends of the one who did the insulting? If we concentrate on looking for people we can help and refrain from hurtful language, we will be fasting as the Lord desires, our prayers will be heard and lives will change for the better.

Prayer 

Gracious God, you have given us the way to you. Why do we insist on doing things our way instead of your way? Help us to listen to you, so that when we pray, you will listen to us. Amen.