Day 14: The Afflicted are Satisfied
“And if you give yourself to the hungry
(If you draw out your soul)
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.”
As we work through this passage in Isaiah 58 I’m reminded that the context is God’s challenge to a heart attitude that is amiss. It is amiss because Israel’s expectations of God are found in religion and ceremony.
Their expectations of God are exactly that— an “I expect…” attitude. It is an expectation of God rooted in what one should get. While this scripture is filled with personal action on an internal level, God turns our attention away from ourself toward those in need.
Loosen the bonds of others.
Share your bread with the hungry.
Clothe the naked.
Stop pointing your finger at others.
Turn from your desires and meet the desperate needs of others.
Transformation and freedom are released as we surrender to God while giving to others.
Jesus gives us the most profound reality of reaching out when He talks about the day we will all face:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:34-40
Who are those in your life that you might consider afflicted? This word afflicted refers to those who are thwarted, frustrated, bowed down, put down, imprisoned by other’s actions, desperate and alone. What do these afflicted people need? What is it that you have that can meet that need? What will you do this week when you see those needs? “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”