Choosing the Power of True Worship (Isaiah 58)

Evening Scripture

Isaiah, Chapter 58
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 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. ‘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. 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. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

“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? 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 them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 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. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 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. 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. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Evening Reflection

Following religious practices doesn’t necessarily mean we are truly worshiping God, because while some of us are praying and fasting, at the same time, we may be condemning others with our words, as well as, pointing out their sins to others. When we do, God doesn’t count it as honoring Him; rather, in Isaiah 58, He calls us to first examine our own hearts, looking at how we are choosing to worship Him. If we are spending hours and days praying and fasting, yet all the while mistreating and oppressing those around us, then He will not hear us or answer our pleas to Him.

To truly worship God is to lovingly and sacrificially obey His word, especially when it comes to treating each other. Rather than build ourselves up with our spiritual practices, He is asking us to minister to those around us out of loving hearts, reaching out to them with kindness, compassion, and generosity. God clearly spells out in His word how we can truly worship Him, as well as the benefits we receive when we do, such as our light going out before us into the darkness, powerful enough to break the chains of bondage for those we minister to.

Following His ways assures us that He will hear us when we call out to Him, not only meeting the needs of others but also satisfying our lives, and continually guiding our way and strengthening our bodies, both inside and out.

Evening Prayer

God,
Lead me today and every day to choose to worship You in Spirit and in truth. Guard my heart from falling into forms of worship, while, all the while, my heart dishonors Your name by mistreating others in words and deeds. Rather, Lord, fill my heart with love for others, the kind of love that brings freedom and life to those around me, and is a true worship that honors Your name and brings glory to You.
Amen.

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