Proverbs 22:7 (Amplified) says that, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 19:17 (Amplified) says, "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him."
When reviewing God's promises in Isaiah 58, we find that the Lord has made promises to the one who will take the time and do as God calls His "Chosen" fast. Giving to the poor, homes to the homeless and feeding the hungry are the things God has Chosen for us to do. We find in the two verses above that giving to the poor is "lending to the Lord" and that "the borrower is servant to the lender." God isn't going to the "borrower" nor the "servant" to anyone.
God says in Isaiah 58:8 (Amplified), "Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you (conducting you to peace and prosperity) and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."
God isn't going to put Himself in a position of being servant to the lender. When we give to the poor (or lend to the Lord), we've placed ourselves in the exact place that the Father has wished us to be in. We sometimes forget that we're in a different Kingdom now, through Jesus. In God's Kingdom, things or spiritual laws work in a different manner. We've been trying to work the laws of the Spirit by earthly, carnal means.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." The laws governing heaven are different from the laws that govern earth. God's laws are much higher and more powerful than the laws we've been striving to live by.
When Jesus calmed the storm, raised the dead to life, and multiplied the loaves and fishes, He operated in the higher laws of God. We, too, have been raised into this heavenly Kingdom with Christ Jesus. Our problem is that we don't know how to function there yet. We keep waiting until we get to heaven to make or receive what God has promised. God has already given us the Spirit to teach us the Word and to direct us and to fulfill His promises in us.
We manage to see our prayer life more through carnal eyes than with the eyes of our new life. We're still petitioning heaven by the lower laws of the earth, instead of the higher laws that are available to us now, through Jesus. Different laws govern the citizens of the United States than the laws governing Italy. One law that's different is that we drive on the right hand side of the road in America. Driving on the left hand side of the road here, could result in catastrophe. We've tried living in the Kingdom of God, by the laws we lived by in our old life.
The Isaiah 58 fast is one of the laws that governs heaven. This is "near and dear" to our Father's heart. The world doesn't have the resources to take care of all the poor. Only God's Kingdom has enough resources to do this. The only way that we can do it, is to believe that our God will supply what we need to give. If we keep giving without receiving what God has promised, then we too will run out of anything to give. Only God can supply our needs and the needs of others.
God purposely placed these things in order, so that we would look to Him as our supply and not the world. The laws that govern the world will not supply enough for us to take care of the poor. With God, we can feed five thousand men, plus women, along with the children, with five loaves and two fishes.
Learning to trust God at His Word and believe He "will supply all our needs by His riches in glory by and through the Lord Jesus," is a new way of thinking for our lives. The Apostle Paul could write this to the Philippians because they were givers. We cannot simply give to some organization, without taking this as a personal calling too.
It's wonderful to give to other ministries that go out into the world teaching Jesus. We might never go to Africa or some other country to do this, but we can support ministries that do. We might never get the opportunity to personally give food, medicine or clothing to famine and disease ridden countries, but we can give to organizations that do. But, we should not neglect helping those who are close at hand, in our personal walk with God.
This is a personal fast, between you and your Heavenly Father. The Red Cross might never come to meet your neighbor's needs, but you can. Don't just given to an organization and then fail to take personal responsibility for helping those close by. Failing to help them, doesn't coincide with what God has called us to do. We appoint people to visit such communities as jails, nursing homes, street ministries and other ministries in the church. We've generously given money and goods to supply the needs of these ministries. This, still, doesn't replace our own personal fast with God for our neighbors and others.
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