Lent is one of the five major seasons observed in many liturgical Christian traditions. Over time, Lent has become a season of intentional personal examination and reflection for Christians. Oftentimes this is demonstrated in various acts of self-denial, fasting, and penitence leading up to Holy Week, specifically Good Friday. It was at the cross on Good Friday where God’s pure, perfect Son and the effects of human sin come crashing into one another– where Jesus willingly offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath against sin. Jesus’ death atones for sin once and for all, while making those who claim God’s offer of forgiveness and justification through faith holy and acceptable.
The significance of 40 days is evident throughout the Scriptures. 40 days is typically a timespan representing trial, testing, and/or preparation (ex: the 40 days of rain endured by Noah on the ark during the great flood, Moses’ 40 years in the wilderness shepherding flocks in preparation for the Exodus, and Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and preparation for the Promised Land). But it is often Jesus’ 40 day fast in the wilderness that seems to best reflect the overall purpose behind the season.
A Season of Self-Denial
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. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong;and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. –Isaiah 58:8-11
Regardless of church or faith background, many are familiar with Lent as a time generally associated with fasting. Fasting is the general act of voluntarily abstaining from something for a period of time for some particular spiritual or physical benefit. While fasting has its benefits, there is a particular means of fasting described in God’s Word that not only provides benefit for ourselves, but for others, while glorifying God.
God’s formula for fasting in Isaiah 58, can be summarized this way:
Gospel-centered fasting…
- Contributes to the proclamation and working-out of God’s justice and righteousness in the world (Isaiah 58:6)
- Results in loving, merciful care for others (v 7)
- Opens our eyes and moves us to take missional responsibility for needs around us (v 9-10)
While guarding from a quid pro quo faith (i.e: if I do something for God, he should do something proportionally in return), there are at least four promises we can hope to experience from Isaiah 8-11:
- God’s continued Guidance
- God’s Healing
- God’s Protective Escort
- God’s Satisfaction