Scripture: Zechariah 7:4-5
Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, site ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?

Thought for the Day: And this is what I’ve been wondering all week: Have we fasted for God, or have we been fasting from God? Taking a period of time to really focus on relationship with God, to study and reflect, is an incredibly powerful spiritual practice. We take a break (fast) from the daily grind and all the stresses of our normal lives, to intentionally work on our spiritual journeys. We take a break from our over-active imaginations to let God retune our thoughts and refocus our souls. That’s a fast for God.

Throughout our days though, do we take even a moment to reflect on God’s love for us, or to thank God for the gift of life, or to reflect on the nature of God, and what it means “to be”? We’re not used to daily spiritual practices other than prayer, and most of us probably don’t pray every day either. We have taken a fast from God, and this is a fast we need to break.

Prayer: Break me, Lord! Break me of all the things that keep me from knowing you more deeply. Break my fast and refresh me with vigorous love. Amen.