Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Isaiah chapter 58 verses 6 through 8.

God says to his people is not this the fast that I choose to loose the bonds of wickedness to

undo the straps of the yoke to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke, is it not to share your bread with the hungry and

bring the homeless poor into your house when you see the naked to cover him and not to hide yourself from your own flesh, then

shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily.

Your righteousness shall go before you.

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

These verses are words from God to His people when they were going through all kinds of religious routine fasting

Participating in religious rituals, but they were ignoring the poor around them.

They were oppressing people around them, or ignoring the oppressed around them.

And God says to them, that's not what I've called you to do.

This is not what devotion to me looks like, like empty religious ritual disconnected from care for the poor and the oppressed in the world. No, I've called you to love

and care for those in need in the world. That's when your light breaks forth

like the dawn and you experience all that I've designed for you not when you're

participating in religious ritual but when you are showing my mercy my love my justice

in the world around you.

So bring these words into our lives today.

Think about my own heart,

like I can get so consumed with doing religious activity, which I'm not, obviously that's not bad, just like

Isaiah 58, verse 6, fasting is not bad, but if we do that religious activity and

yet we are not showing mercy and justice in the world

...