Isaiah 58:4-11
Look, what good is fasting when you
keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get
you anywhere with me. Is this what I want—this doing of penance and
bowing like reeds in the wind, putting on sackcloth and covering
yourselves with ashes? Is this what you call fasting?
No, the
kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you
and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share
your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who
are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don’t
hide from relatives who need your help.
If you do these things,
God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your
godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then, when you
call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply. All
you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false
accusations and spreading vicious rumors!
Feed the hungry! Help
those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and
the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. And the Lord will
guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep
you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an
ever-flowing spring.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Police officers and the
Prosecuting Attorney from Pulaski County, Arkansas, held a press
conference on September 30, 2014, to discuss the death of 49-year-old
realtor Beverly Carter, who was abducted and murdered while showing
property in the county on September 25th. A reporter asked Sheriff Doc
Holladay how the family received the news – and how they were holding
up. Holladay remarked that the Carter family was “obviously distressed,
distraught and concerned...but I think they have a religious strength
that a lot of people may not have, and in that, they are surrounded by
the closest of their friends, their church family, and those kinds of
things that help strengthen them to get through this process...”
In
the last 36+ hours of my grandmother’s life, many people came to stand
with me...say a prayer over her...and even sing her a song. Greg barely
left my side. The aides and staff at my grandmother’s assisted living
facility went above and beyond any requirements of their job...some of
them coming in on their day off to sit with her and kiss her
“Good-bye.” More than two dozen members of her church prepared a
pre-funeral meal...then served it and handled all of the clean-up. The
only thing we had to lift was a fork to our faces! A lot of these dear
souls called and sent cards and continued to remember us with prayer and
support for days and weeks afterward.
Many of these same people
had stood with my family in “dark hours” before. Several of them spent
the better part of several days at my mother’s home ministering to us on
more than one occasion when loved ones passed. When I fell a few years
ago and broke my ankle, some of these same folks were among the first to
visit me and bring me get-well gifts, food and encouragement.
Here’s
the thing...I am not poor, sick, helpless, homeless, or destitute. I
like to think that my faith is strong...that I trust God to see me
through anything. But we all have needs at one time or another. This
passage speaks to those who have profound hardships...but it also speaks
to those in our midst that appear to have it all together – or who
don’t seem to have any necessities. When we assume this to be the case,
we often miss an opportunity to serve God and bless them...and receive a
blessing in the bargain.
Do not misunderstand...we need to help
the homeless...to work in the soup kitchens and visit those in
prison...to reach out to the sick, infirm, elderly and housebound. We
need to be on the lookout for ways to lift up those who are destitute
and desperate. Bible studies, spiritual retreats and outreach
ministries are important. But we must be very careful not to be so
swallowed up in the pride of “serving those less fortunate”...and
pumping our chests at what good deeds we are performing for God...that
we neglect our “next-door neighbor”. Just because you share a pew with
someone every Sunday doesn’t mean that he/she doesn’t have tremendous
challenges and heartaches. We need to remember that lifting each other
within the body of Christ is equally important!
My challenge for
all of us is to read this passage from Isaiah carefully...and then put
it into action. Look around...see who is sick, injured, hurting in some
way – or just struggling to “keep all of the balls in the air.” Do
they need a helping hand...an understanding ear...a visit or phone call
to say, “I’m in your corner?” Are we so busy doing the “visible”
ministries – or those that are “fun” or make us feel good that we are
neglecting our brothers and sisters who are in our line of sight
virtually every day? Is there someone who used to attend your church
that has “dropped off the radar”? Have you reached out to them to find
out what happened?
Never underestimate the needs within your own
family of believers. Never downplay your own challenges and
hardships...or deny another believer the opportunity to minister to
you. When this passage tells us not to hide from relatives who need our
help, this includes fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! God is
calling us to help others...including those in our immediate “circle”.
Don’t “fail to see the forest for the trees”. Ask God to show you how,
who, and where to minister to others in His name...to offer His healing
and help to them...and to heal yourself in the process. Be part of the
support group that rallies around others, regardless of who – or where –
they are.
Sheriff Holladay concluded his remarks about the
family of Beverly Carter by saying that “they need support to
continue”. Who in your line of sight needs the same? Will you help
those in trouble and allow your light to shine out from the darkness in
service and glory to God? Don’t you think it’s time you did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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