Not wanting to take anything out of context below you'll find the whole passage that leads us to the REAR GUARD.
Not being a theologian or a commentator the thoughts below are my own that have come as I've meditated on this passage.
Desiring to know that the Glory of the Lord IS my Rear Guard, I needed to search out how to be assured of the fact.
Please read the passage again and I'll comment after you have read it.
True Fasting
1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?
6 "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?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
The traditional thought on fasting for most folks,is to do without food for a period of time in order to get closer to God or get some answer to prayer. As I read this passage again it would seem to me that what God is asking is for us to fast from sin. The reason God did not answer their prayers during their fast was that they were fasting for the wrong reasons. They supposedly humbled themselves yet it was a show, bowing their heads putting on sackcloth and ashes, at the same time they exploited their workers, were quarreling and fighting literally.
Verses 6&7 tell us how to obtain verse 8.
Does one have to fast literally from food in order to do verses 6&7? The Lord may lead you to fast from food or some activity, do so as He leads but do it for the right reasons.
Think about it.
Is the Glory of the Lord Your Rear Guard?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Summer
Can’t think brain dumb, inspiration won’t come” .The old saying seems to be my thought process since leaving home two months ago. Result, I'm taking the advice of a friend who suggests just sitting down and start writing whatever comes to mind, so here goes!
In case you didn't know Florida is a gorgeous state. It not only has beautiful beaches, at least most of them are still beautiful, but also many many lakes and breathtaking rivers that wind through the interior and out to sea. One result of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 30's and early 40's is over fifty family campgrounds and many day use preserves known as the Florida State Park system. If you happen to be a Florida resident over 65, camping is half price. That's $8 to $12 per night. There are advantages to getting old.
Today I had the privilege of hiking through Hardwood hammocks, and sand-hills along the Santa Fe River, just south west of Lake City. O'Leno State Park is so peaceful, and my view is deep woods all around. Three cardinals, one male, bright red and two females, brownish red cavorted beside our picnic table. The magnificent chorus of birds early this morning lent a special majesty to my devotions, as they seem to answer one another through the trees. On our hike we saw a large brown, white tailed buck, doe and fawn, they just stood in the middle of the path and stared at us, at least long enough to get some pictures.
This park was once part of a thriving community with a working mill, hotel, general store and folks to keep it all going until the railroad came through the area bypassing O'Leno rendering it a lost town. The coming of the railroad created the booming community of High Springs. The remains of the mill's dam are still visible in the river. The swinging suspension bridge, built by the CCC boys still spans the river where paths take you along its banks to where the river goes underground, to reappear at what is known as the River Rise. Amazing things one learns while spending a few days in the woods.
Skies are clear all is quiet, as our world spins, it would seem out of control. Yet I am reminded as I look into the clear blue of the sky or watch the sun rise and set as it has for centuries that our Great God is in control and to quote Winston Churchill "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". 2 Timothy 1:7 "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind".
In case you didn't know Florida is a gorgeous state. It not only has beautiful beaches, at least most of them are still beautiful, but also many many lakes and breathtaking rivers that wind through the interior and out to sea. One result of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 30's and early 40's is over fifty family campgrounds and many day use preserves known as the Florida State Park system. If you happen to be a Florida resident over 65, camping is half price. That's $8 to $12 per night. There are advantages to getting old.
Today I had the privilege of hiking through Hardwood hammocks, and sand-hills along the Santa Fe River, just south west of Lake City. O'Leno State Park is so peaceful, and my view is deep woods all around. Three cardinals, one male, bright red and two females, brownish red cavorted beside our picnic table. The magnificent chorus of birds early this morning lent a special majesty to my devotions, as they seem to answer one another through the trees. On our hike we saw a large brown, white tailed buck, doe and fawn, they just stood in the middle of the path and stared at us, at least long enough to get some pictures.
This park was once part of a thriving community with a working mill, hotel, general store and folks to keep it all going until the railroad came through the area bypassing O'Leno rendering it a lost town. The coming of the railroad created the booming community of High Springs. The remains of the mill's dam are still visible in the river. The swinging suspension bridge, built by the CCC boys still spans the river where paths take you along its banks to where the river goes underground, to reappear at what is known as the River Rise. Amazing things one learns while spending a few days in the woods.
Skies are clear all is quiet, as our world spins, it would seem out of control. Yet I am reminded as I look into the clear blue of the sky or watch the sun rise and set as it has for centuries that our Great God is in control and to quote Winston Churchill "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". 2 Timothy 1:7 "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind".
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