[This is the first sermon in the series "REALITY PRAYER, How to Ask So God Will Answer"]
Do you know the difference between passive thinking and active thinking?
We’re thinking passively when we believe things are always happening "to" us.
We’re thinking actively when we believe our actions have some effect on the things that happen in our lives.
Active thinking involves taking personal responsibility for some things in our life. We all have great potential to become active thinkers, but especially if we follow God’s truth.
Being an active thinker rather than a passive one determines whether we will be a "victor" or a "victim" in life. Our problems will either defeat us or develop us depending on whether we are active or passive thinkers.
Which leads to the first principle of reality fasting from our text passage.
WE SHOULD TAKE SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR HAVING OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED. WE SHOULD BE ACTIVE THINKERS REGARDING OUR PRAYER LIFE.
No, we are not delving into false teaching here. If you paid close attention to the text passage as we read it you began to understand this principle.
It may sound unusual to state the case this way (that we are personally responsible for having our prayers answered) because we know that God is the one who answers prayer. What this principle points out is that we too have some responsibility in having our prayers answered.
We cannot afford to be totally passive in our thinking on this issue. We must become active thinkers when it comes to asking so God will answer.
In Isaiah’s day the people were complaining that their prayer and fasting hadn’t been effective. They were complaining in such a way as to insinuate it was God’s fault! They were thinking passively.
"God, you should be answering our prayers. Haven’t you seen us fasting? Haven’t you seen us going without food to get answers to our prayers? God, it’s not fair. We’re fasting - but you’re not answering!"
We need to stop and take a dose of reality here.
Sure God sees fasting. But He sees a whole lot more!
He sees our exploitation of others. (Verse 3) He sees our quarreling and strife. (Verse 4) He sees our injustice and oppression. (Verse 6) He sees it when we withhold food, clothing and shelter from the poor. (Verse 7)
God sees.
What a sobering truth.
In her book, "A Closer Walk", Catherine Marshall writes: "One morning last week He gave me an asignment: for one day I was to go on a fast from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody about anything.
"For the first half of the day, I simply felt a void, almost as if I had been wiped out as a person. This was especially true at lunch...I listened to the others and kept silent...In our talkative family no one seemed to notice. Bemused, I noticed that my comments were not missed. The federal government, the judicial system, and the institutional church could apparently get along fine without my penetrating observations. But still I didn’t see what this fast on criticism was accomplishing - until mid-afternoon.
"That afternoon, a specific, positive vision for this life was dropped into my mind with God’s unmistakable hallmark on it - joy! Ideas began to flow in a way I had not experienced in years. Now it was apparent what the Lord wanted me to see. My critical nature had not corrected a single one of the multitudinous things I found fault with. What it had done was to stiffle my own creativity."
The next realization in reality prayer and fasting is this:
OUR IMPROPER ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS OFTEN STAND IN THE WAY OF GOD ANSWERING OUR PRAYERS.
The attitude that we can "earn" answers to our prayers because we have gone through the religious motion of fasting is shallow on our part.
It’s as if we’re saying God should stop and take notice of our super piety.
When we behave this way we have our halos on too tight!
What an insult to God! We believe we can "earn" His blessings by our effort.
Here’s what actually happens when we fast and pray for the right reasons. (Fasting and praying is like every other dimension of worship.)
1. We desire a deeper relationship with God so we choose fasting and prayer as one of the options available to us to accomplish that goal.
2. We disassociate ourselves with other things for a while so we can focus more on God. It’s as if we’re saying, "God, I don’t even care about food right now I want so much to walk in your presence."
3. In so doing we actually do develop a closer walk with God. We begin to "see His face" - which is the way the scriptures depict our relationship when we draw close to God.
4. Walking more closely to God brings about a transformation in our character. Fasting and prayer doesn’t change God - it changes us!
5. We’re now transformed to the place God can bless us with answers to our prayers. Whereas before we weren’t able to contain certain things - now we are! We were like a bucket that had a hole in it but it has been repaired and now it can be used to carry something.
When we walk and talk with God great things happen in our lives!
Our relationships with others improve. That’s because as we walk with God we become more like God who treats others in an excellent manner.
This wasn’t happening in Isaiah’s day.
Wasn’t happening in Jesus’ day either.
"How terrible it will be for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law - justice, mercy, faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the important things." (Matthew 23:23 NLT)
Jesus could have said the same thing about fasting. [After all Jesus said, "When you fast", not "if you fast." (Matthew 6:16)] "You should fast, yes, but you should not leave undone the other important things." It’s important to help the needy. It’s important to treat others fairly. It’s important to be kind to others and try to get along with one another.
How can we improve in these areas? By improving our walk with God.
Ironic isn’t it?
We behave badly toward others because our fellowship with God is not what it ought to be. Then we try to do the things that will increase our fellowship with God but we do them in the wrong way. End result? We fall flat on our spiritual faces.
The solution is so simple that God tells Isaiah in verse one to "shout it loud, do not hold back". God wasn’t just saying this because He’s angry, but because He’s a loving God who wants to make sure everybody gets the message.
THE WAY WE DO WHAT WE DO FOR GOD IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT WE DO FOR GOD!
Fasting can be a truly spiritually uplifting experience. But only if it’s done for the right reasons. Then, and only then, it produces the right results.
The exciting thing is what happens when we get it right - when we do the right thing with the proper motive!
Over and over again in our text passage God promises that if we get it right He will answer our prayers!
It’s a "when" and "then" proposition.
WHEN we fast and pray for the right reasons...
"THEN your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear." (Verse 8a)
WHEN we fast and pray for the right reasons...
"THEN your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard." (Verse 8b)
(That’s like God saying, "I’m going to watch your back. The enemy won’t be able to attack you from behind where you are most vulnerable.")
WHEN we fast and pray for the right reasons...
"THEN you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." (Verse 9a)
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, (Sound like your marriage? Your office? Your relationship with other believers?) and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
THEN your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." (Verses 9b-10)
"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Verse 11)
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee
Thou wilt find a solace there.
