April 25 - TURN THAT PLATE DOWN!!!

What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling?  This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.  ⁵ You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind.  You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes.  Is this what you call fasting?  Do you really think this will please the Lord?   ⁶ “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:  Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you.  Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.  ⁷ Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.  Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.  ⁸ “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal.  Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.  ⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer.  ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.  Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
¹⁰ Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble.  Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.  ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.  ¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.  (Isaiah 58:4-12, NLT)

 

The King James version records the last part of verse 12 as "The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in".  It means to "fortify with a wall, to wall around".  Can you see the visual of that verse?!?!!  When we pray and fast, the power of our prayers is like building a wall around the object of our prayers.  When we pray and fast, we build a wall around our spouse, our children, our communities, our schools.  There is truly power in prayer and God's word has documented the outcome of true prayer and worship through fasting.  God wants us to operate in knowledge of His word and repair breached relationships, restore homes and rebuild communities.  "When there is true love for God and sincere concern for the welfare of others, a channel is opened for God's full blessing to come into our lives."  (Full Life Study Bible, Study Notes)

 

Lord what an honor and privilege to be entrusted with the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit.  We thank you for Your word that leads, guides and directs us.  Strengthen our prayer life to include fasting and true love for one another.  Let us not pray out of obligation, but help us to lift one another in sincere intercession.  All the enemy needs is a crack to get in, so Lord we ask that You reveal to us each and every breach and just as You said in Your word, we will repair them!!!  Unlike most things that are never the same once they're compromised; we declare that once the breach is repaired; it will be completely renewed and restored...as if it never suffered a break.    In Jesus name, Amen!