Isaiah 58- Rebuild & Restore (Day 4)

The Isaiah 58 passage is stencilled on the walls of the church office of where I attend. Although I honour and love the work of my local church, I am keenly aware of what we are a part of: God's family, His Church made of up believers across the nations. The Word of God speaks to us both personally and corporately. Isaiah 58 is a transformational passage of life changing truths that we simply cannot ignore. It talks about what "True Fasting" is- which in a nutshell, is looking after the needs of the poor, oppressed and to set the captives free. Although that is a clarion call for the Church to do in our own homes and communities, we were able to see the tangible expression of Isaiah 58 through the work of Compassion. The passage talks very clearly about what breaks God's heart and if we listen closely, if we seek to be obedient to God's Word and compassionate to those around us, it clearly states that we will experience incredible answers to prayer when we make His priorities our priorities. This tour reawakened us to that mandate. After our women's event on day four, we had more opportunities to visit some homes to see first hand the lives that are being touched through their efforts. Women's Journey of Faith team member Lisa Braun shares some highlights:

"As we walked down the trail to our first home visit with a young mom and two small kids, my heart grew more and more. I was so very humbled to walk into her simple home, greet her with a smile and hug her. Bringing her the bag of groceries and praying with her was such a God moment! My heart flooded with compassion for her. 

I couldn't believe it when she began giving us gifts in return, wanting us to take them with us. I could hardly take them! She had nothing...we had so much and here she was blessing us!  I had never experienced such generosity before. 

"Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes." Isaiah 58:12

It was such an honour to meet this young family and to shake the hands of a father who wanted me to pray for him that he would be a godly father who looked after his family, who desired to be a man that would follow God's ways and raise his children in the church. I was so blessed! Sadly, it is not the norm for a man to stay with his wife and children here in this country. This man wanted to be different! He wanted to be the man God wanted him to be. Here again, when we blessed them with some groceries, he overwhelmed us with gifts of oranges and coconuts!   We had too much to carry so he put the bag of oranges on his back and started to walk with us. Generosity so amazing once again. I am at a loss for words and my heart is flooded with emotion as I look at my pictures and relive these moments and try to write them into words to share with you. A piece of my heart was staying at each of these homes we visited. Their smiles, the looks in their eyes and the hope they have because of Compassion, this will stay with me always."  - Lisa

 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry⁷     and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." Isaiah 58:6-7