“Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?” Because on your fast day you see to your business and oppress all your laborers! Because you fast in strife and contention, and you strike with a wicked fist! Your fasting today is not such as to make your voice heard on high, is such the fast I desire, a day for men to starve their bodies? Is it bowing the head like a bulrush and lying in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call that a fast, a day when the LORD is favorable? No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of the yoke to let the oppressed go free; to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin.
Isaiah 58:3-7 (Tanakh)
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
When you fast, please consider giving the amount of money you would normally spend for your own food, during the duration of your fast, to the poor.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
If you purposely fast in a manner that seeks the approval of men, then you have already received your reward. For example: It is a custom for some people to look like they are in mourning, by not bathing and even wearing burial clothes, while they fast. This is an incorrect way to fast.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Matthew 6:5-7 (NIV)
Likewise when we pray, we should not pray long drawn out prayers, which were created by someone else. When we go to the Lord in prayer; we should approach him with respect, with a sincere heart, quietly, and privately. We should pray from our heart, in our own words; because the Lord is not interested in hearing someone else’s prayer. The Lord wants to hear from us, personally. Within all faiths, some people make a habit of praying in public places: A good example of this would be in front of a court house, an abortion clinic, or in a restaurant. But if you pray in public, then your prayer is not heard by the Lord. When you are in a restaurant, you can still pray, just do not make a show of it. Do not sit there with your head bobbing or bowed down, with your eyes closed; but pray in a manner, so that no one else can see that you are praying. Pray in the spirit, silently within your heart, so that only the Almighty God the Holy Father may know that you are praying. The only exception to this rule may be when an entire congregation or a community comes together to pray as one, a prayer of repentance and for deliverance, as the Judges, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah did in the Word of God.
I have read in the Jewish teachings of the law that it is advisable to wait and pray in the synagogue or that you need a minyan of a minimum of ten men to pray. (In dire circumstances, older boys and women are permitted to fulfill this requirement.) I am thankful that I was ignorant of this rule, because countless of times I have turned to the Lord in quiet prayer and he has listened to me, a simple woman, who was all alone.
Whether as a friend, a spouse, or a parent; have you ever felt like the only time you were appreciated; was when someone else benefited from you? When someone else wanted something from you? After awhile, how did this make you feel? Did their words become monotonous or begin to sound like the same old story? Did the words, “I love you,” begin to sound like a dirty four letter word? Perhaps you have treated someone else this way? Most of us begin to feel as though we are taken for granted and after awhile we do not even look forward to hearing from the ones we love the most, because they have hurt us so much. Unfortunately, most of us treat the Lord the same way. We will not pray to the Lord unless we are in trouble. It is often only after we have had something devastating happen to us that we even begin to communicate with him. If the Lord takes to heart our prayer and helps us; for a moment in time, we appear to be thankful; but all too often, we forget about him and continue our life just as we did before we were humbled. Then the Lord does not hear from us again, until something else happens, and we want help again.
The hardest request you can ever make, the most difficult prayer there is, is this: Ask the Lord to take control of your life, according to his word and teach you his law, and ask him to make your sins known to you; so that you might see yourself as he sees you, so that you can truly repent. This is also the most important prayer you can ever make. This is a prayer that needs to be made with some thought, sincerely, and in a private place, when you are willing to change. Then you need to take time every day to study the Word of God. You cannot begin to understand the Lord, his will or his way, to learn the law or understand repentance and forgiveness; without taking the time to read. If you will do this, you will begin to have thought provocations. Memories will start rising up from within your heart, of things you have done in your past. You may begin to hear the soft whisper of the Spirit of the Lord instructing you. You might even hear a firm, angry voice, because when the Lord wants you to repent, he also wants you to understand the full weight of your sins. The Lord wants you to understand the seriousness of your actions and consider the consequences of other people, who may have been injured physically or emotionally, because of your behavior; how you may have hurt someone else and even affected the rest of their lives.
The Lord is already waiting for you; all you have to do is ask. There are two other prayers that would be beneficial for you: The first prayer would be to ask the Lord if you are odious to him. The second prayer is similar to the first; however, this could be much more beautiful or more severe. Ask the Lord if you were to die today, what would become of you. I am sure that if you will, the Lord will show you, and I know that you will be surprised by what you see. Either of these prayers may give you the incentive that you need to seek the Lord, his word, and learn how to repent.
The Lord is wonderful and desires a close and intimate relationship with each one of us. The Lord loves it when we turn to him, because we want to learn and the more we want to learn, the more he will teach us. He loves it when we share our heart with him; what we
think, what we want, and what we need. He loves to be wanted and appreciated. He wants to be obeyed and he wants to be loved—just like a father. It does not matter that the Lord already knows our thoughts and our needs. It does not matter that we may be simple minded human beings, who are unable to communicate with him, at his level. But we are all his children and he would love to hear from each one of us, personally.
Within the Word of God, we are taught that even before we pray, the Lord knows our thoughts. The Lord has shown me that the more I recognize him in my life and allow him to participate with me, the more I will feel his presence in my life. I have also learned that the more I communicate with the Lord, the more I will hear his voice. Since then, I may not pray as often as I used to, but I speak to him at any given time of the day. Sometimes now, the Lord and I have lengthy conversations in the day and through the night. With the exception of when the Lord is disciplining me, this is a beautiful experience and one I would truly miss, if it ever ceased. If you have not already developed this same kind of relationship with the Lord, so that you can hear his voice too, I hope that one day you will.
The Lord wants to be loved like a Father, obeyed and respected as a King,
And honored and feared as God.
