Nation Building God's Way

7“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

8“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9“Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

10And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.

11“And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

(Isaiah 58:7-12)

These passages speak on the building of a nation through fasting. A fast is all well and good, but the attitude and actions that come with it are necessary components to make an effective appeal to God.

I was surprised to be led to this passage this morning, and to think about our own nation.

We are the most generous nation in the world. Of course, critics like to point out that we are the richest, but that is only because we are a generous people. We give to causes regularly - an act of giving which is voluntarily done, not forced. Things which speak volumes about our nation and why we are blessed by God.

It is that kind of heart that the Lord blesses, and we need to put that in the forefront of our actions. In this day and age, we are probably not going to be inviting the homeless into our homes. But, it doesn't mean that we don't give and volunteer to bless others in the ways that we can.

For my own self, I have been pretty focused on my work life and career. Since I've had so much additional responsibilities as a husband and father - and then on top of that to get better at my work, it's been a journey and an effort to get the point of becoming proficient with a measure of expertise.

The acts of charity are a core part of our Christian walk however. They cannot be ignored even when life gets so hectic and overwhelming. As we enter the New Year, there has to be some changes to allow for charitable giving to be done. It is a key reminder for me to remember the heart of the Lord even as we try to pray to Him in our daily lives.