I was drinking my coffee on the porch of our home in Haiti, watching the boys play soccer in the morning sun and listening to the sounds of day break. The first light of the day in Haiti bursts with promises of opportunity. Horns start honking on trucks, busses and taxis, markets open for exchanges of goods, and life bursts from complete darkness into vibrant colors of school uniforms and caribbean culture.
My coffee was waking up my bones from a night wrestling with sleep. My sheets had gotten twisted on my bottom bunk, a mosquito was buzzing around my head for what felt like hours, and the hum of our generator lulled me in and out of rest.
I was in the middle of a Bible Study about JOY and was desperate for my morning to be infiltrated with its truths. It was then that God began speaking to my heart about recalibration. Redirecting a thought, habit, or circumstance in the direction of Him – instead of where it was.
I was wrestling through the pages of my workbook as Old Testament history leaped into my eyesight. The author was explaining that Bible reveals that God appointed certain days of the year to be remembered and celebrated by the congregation of Israel. We know these as the 7 Festivals. The word “feast” comes from two Hebrew words that mean (Moaid) “divinely appointed times” and the other (Khag) means “festival” from the verb which means “to dance.”
Divinely appointed times to dance! There were seven feasts that were observed annually in ancient Israel, and they were celebrated in this order: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. She describes that only three were actual feasts: Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Tabernacles. The other four were appointed times. They were only required to fast on the Day of Atonement. During the special times they would remember great events with God. Three times per year: during the feast of Pentecost, Passover, and Tabernacles all Israelites were to gather together. They would travel from all over, some journeying through difficult circumstances, coming together in a common place to celebrate at these festivals. She continued to explain that this time was a time of recalibration to God. A time of remembering what He had done, and looking forward to what He will do in the coming year. A time of turning their gazes back to Him, focusing on His goodness, and remembering all He had done for them.
What became even more apparent to me, and why I think I paid attention in the first place, is because that’s exactly what was happening in Haiti. We were hosting our Annual Light & Peace Convention where fifty of our Pastors (and their entourages) from all over the nation come together to study, learn, worship, and celebrate the things God had done in the previous year, looking forward to what He was going to do in the coming. Some of the Pastor’s journeys, physically and emotionally, were tough terrain to navigate in the coming together to even arrive at the Convention. Protests had already begun in some places, which made getting down the mountain difficult, at best. One of our church leaders was in a motorcycle accident as a result, and ended up losing his life on the way to us. Our hearts were sick in the midst of this really wonderful event because of all that was happening around us.
And yet, through the whirlwind of activity happening around me, I kept hearing the One who knows me best whisper in the quietness; it’s time for you to recalibrate.
Ash Wednesday commences the beginning of the season leading up to Easter and honestly, it’s one of my favorite times of the year. Not because I’m a church girl, but because any period where I am stretched spiritually always makes me better. I will not pretend that I enjoy the stretching, I just like how I feel when the stretching is over. Can I get an Amen?!
A lot of Christians practice a form of fasting during this season. Some people choose to give up a certain food or drink; however, a spirit of fasting can include restriction of activities such as television watching, shopping or social networking. Some choose to give away clothing or possessions, give time by volunteering or increase time spent in prayer. We fast to reorient ourselves away from the distraction of those things and back toward God.
Beyond the Old Testament and into the New, there is a strong Biblical baseline for fasting, particularly in the forty days leading up to Easter. In the Gospels, we see that as a part of his spiritual preparation, Jesus went away and fasted for forty days and forty nights. (Matthew 4).
For weeks, God has been quietly nudging me in this direction of recalibration. A season of redirecting my thoughts, habits, and circumstances in the direction of Him – instead of where I am.
Isaiah 58 describes true recalibrating fasting like this:
“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?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
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?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
In the few verses ahead of this one, God exposes the reality of that day’s situation – not unlike ours today. The reality was that His people didn’t fast with the right heart, and did it only as an empty ritual. GULP. The reality was that even on a day when they fasted, they still exploited others. God didn’t accept their fasting when it wasn’t connected with a sincere heart of obedience. OKAY, GOD. OKAY. They fasted for needs, certainly; but selfish needs like “LORD, help me win this argument.” “LORD, help me defeat this person.” Though their prayer was accompanied with fasting, it was still a selfish, even wicked prayer – so God did not answer how they wanted Him to.
The people of Isaiah’s day had the same problem as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They trusted in empty ritual, apart from the spiritual reality. But God sees through the hypocrisy of empty religious ritual, including fasting.
And yet, my heart, drawn toward a season of recalibration.
Not empty this time, Megan.
Refocus on ME.
Choose ME.
Set your eyes on ME.
Dedicate this to ME.
Use this time to get right with ME.
Megan, choose this recalibration to reorient yourself away from the distraction of those things that are getting in the way and get back to ME.
It seems I have no choice.
There are two very specific areas in my life where I know God is calling me to focus in this season of recalibration.
What’s getting in the way of our full pursuit of Jesus?
Where is He calling us to refocus our attention?
(Ash) Wednesday is here this week. Who’s up for a season of recalibration?
A season of redirecting our thoughts, habits, and circumstances in the direction of Him – instead of where they are.
