The Set Up: One day, a second-grade teacher was having trouble with one of her students causing trouble in class. Instead of staying in his seat, Josh kept getting up from his desk, wandering around the class and bugging the other kids who were trying to get their work done. Several times the teacher told Josh to go back to his desk and sit down, and several times Josh refused. “Josh, if you don’t sit down, you are going to have to stay inside during recess.” Josh still refused to sit down. “Josh, if you don’t sit down right now, you are going to have to stay inside during recess tomorrow too!” Still, Josh didn’t sit. Finally, “Josh, if you don’t sit down, you are going to lose recess for the rest of the week!” At last Josh reluctantly took his seat. But as he did so, he mumbled under his breath, “I might be sitting down on the outside, but I am still standing up on the inside.”
That describes me sometimes. I am doing the right things on the outside, but on the inside, I am stubbornly resisting. Can you relate? Doing the right things for the wrong reasons might keep us out of trouble, but it doesn’t bring about the change of heart and character that God wants for us.
In Isaiah 58, God takes Israel to task because they are doing the right things on the outside (fasting, showing up at the Temple, etc.) but they are still mistreating each other, taking advantage of the poor, and ignoring the needy among them. God tells them:
“Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord? “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” – Isaiah 58:5-7
During this Lenten season, we have the opportunity to not just change our behavior, or give some things up as we fast and pray. We have the opportunity to ask God to change the deeper, under the surface, things in our lives.
Biblical Passage to Read: Isaiah 58
Reflection Questions:
Can you relate to the kid in the story? Are there ever times when you are sitting on the outside, but standing on the inside?
When you read Isaiah 58, what thoughts jump out at you as God tells Israel what he really wants from them?
What do you think “true fasting” looks like in your life?
Prayer Focus: God, I pray that you would change me from the inside out during this Lenten season. I want to do more than control my behavior, I want to change my heart. Help me to see what you really want for my life. Amen.