Day 14: Kingdom Justice: Advocating for the Oppressed - 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
The Fast God Chooses
Welcome to Day 14 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Two weeks in, God’s Word asks us a searching question about the fast itself.
In Isaiah’s day the people were fasting, and they were puzzled that God did not seem to notice. His answer was direct. They fasted, and on the same day they exploited their workers and quarrelled with one another (Isaiah 58:3–4). Then He described the fast He is looking for:
“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?” Isaiah 58:6 (NIV)
He goes on: to share your food with the hungry, to give shelter to the poor wanderer, to clothe the naked and not to turn away from your own family (Isaiah 58:7).
What God Cares About
Justice Is Close to His Heart
All through Scripture, God defends people who have nobody else to defend them. He tells His people to uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed and to rescue the weak and the needy (Psalm 82:3–4).
Jesus Took Up the Same Mission
In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus read that He had been anointed to proclaim good news to the poor and to set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18). The King of the Kingdom spent His time with the people others overlooked.
Faith That Does Something
James asks what good it is to wish a hungry person well and do nothing about their needs. Faith without action is dead (James 2:15–17).
What He Asks of Us
The prophet Micah sums it up: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). And Proverbs tells us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 31:8–9).
We cannot put right every wrong in the world. We can refuse to look away from the need that is in front of us.
The Promise Attached
God attaches a promise to this kind of fast. Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and you will call, and the Lord will answer (Isaiah 58:8–9). Mercy towards others and nearness to God go together.
Three Steps for Today
Look around. Who near you is hungry, lonely, struggling or badly treated? Ask God to open your eyes to one person.
Share something. Give the cost of a meal you are missing to someone in need, or to a food bank.
Speak up. Is there a situation where you could use your voice for someone who is not being heard?
Prayer for Today:
Lord God, You are just and merciful. Forgive me for the times I have fasted and prayed and still walked past people in need. Open my eyes to those who are hurting, and give me the courage to act. Use my hands, my voice and what I have to bring Your freedom and Your kindness to others. Let my fast be the kind You have chosen. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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