Day 15: What weighs you down?
Question: What is one issue that consistently weighs you down - one that you feel God has uniquely positioned you to help address?
Bible Passage: Isaiah 58:6-7 -- “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”
Reflection: Fasting is not primarily about depriving ourselves to attain a higher spiritual dimension or to get something from God. Those reasons certainly have their place, but fasting goes beyond this. The fast God chooses is kingdom-focused and is action-oriented. It’s about yearning for His kingdom and playing an active role in its manifestation here on earth. That issue weighing on your heart -- hunger, homelessness, oppression -- is not just a problem to pray and fast about. It’s a problem to act on. When we fast from food, what could we do with the money that meal would’ve cost? When we feel the weight of injustice, would we let it move us to break yokes, not just weep over them? God has a role for each of us in His kingdom, and He has uniquely positioned us to address something broken - No matter how insignificant we may think it is. Our fasting becomes real when it leads to feeding, housing, covering, and freeing. Let’s not just yearn for the kingdom. Let’s be active participants in it.
Prayer: Father, creation groans for the return of your son and the consummation of your kingdom. We ourselves long for your return. But You have called us not just to wait but to work. Please break our hearts what breaks yours and let it move us to action. Let our fast be active: food shared, chains broken, homeless welcomed. Use our hands to bring Your kingdom here on earth. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Passage: Isaiah 58:6-7 -- “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”
Reflection: Fasting is not primarily about depriving ourselves to attain a higher spiritual dimension or to get something from God. Those reasons certainly have their place, but fasting goes beyond this. The fast God chooses is kingdom-focused and is action-oriented. It’s about yearning for His kingdom and playing an active role in its manifestation here on earth. That issue weighing on your heart -- hunger, homelessness, oppression -- is not just a problem to pray and fast about. It’s a problem to act on. When we fast from food, what could we do with the money that meal would’ve cost? When we feel the weight of injustice, would we let it move us to break yokes, not just weep over them? God has a role for each of us in His kingdom, and He has uniquely positioned us to address something broken - No matter how insignificant we may think it is. Our fasting becomes real when it leads to feeding, housing, covering, and freeing. Let’s not just yearn for the kingdom. Let’s be active participants in it.
Prayer: Father, creation groans for the return of your son and the consummation of your kingdom. We ourselves long for your return. But You have called us not just to wait but to work. Please break our hearts what breaks yours and let it move us to action. Let our fast be active: food shared, chains broken, homeless welcomed. Use our hands to bring Your kingdom here on earth. In Jesus’ name, amen.
by: Colby Dorcely
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2026
May
Day 1: The Joy of Conviction Day 2: Formed for WisdomDay 3: God is Our Refuge Day 4: Fighting the FleshDay 5: What is the next right thing to do?Day 6: The Spiritual Discipline of Silence Day 7: Not Fast, Just Furious Day 8: The Rosetta GroanDay 9: The Secret Place, It Starts HereDay 10: Call GodDay 11: Leave Nothing Undone Day 12: WhyDay 13: Obedience That Hurts, Endurance in the Midst of Suffering Day 14: Unbalancing Your Life for GodDay 15: What weighs you down?
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