“Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.” ‭‭Joel‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭‬

The priests and ministers were called to put on sackcloth because the offerings weren’t being given. They were told to fast as a people. The elders and all the people were to go to the house of the Lord and cry out to God.

What can I learn about fasting from this passage?

• God asked the religious leaders to fast and put on sackcloth. He wanted to see and have others see them in sackcloth.
• This fast was a consequence of sacrifice of stopping in the temple.
• He wanted a solemn assembly.
• God wanted the people to fast and cry out to Him.
• There was a reason that the spiritual leaders needed to be seen as repentant to the Lord. Their job was to care for the temple and offer the sacrifices, but they had let the offerings cease.

Lord, I wonder if there needs to be this type of fast within Your body now. We are called to be living sacrifices but not sure that overall the church is living as a sacrifice for You. Are we really being taught the importance of getting outside the comfort zone in our giving and service? Lord You want us to cry out to You.