In Zechariah 7, God's people find themselves in a bad situation. They've been exiled from their homes in a foreign land. For 70 years they've been fasting for a breakthrough.

After 70 years of fasting and not getting results, they ask God; "Should we keep fasting?"

This is how God responded:
"Was it really for Me that you were fasting?...
Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against one another."

It seems that justice can take you where even fasting alone cannot.

God's people had heard this message before and were not receptive.

"Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. They made their hearts hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages God sent them by His spirit through the prophets."

When one generation rejects God, the next generation pays for it. While guilt may not transfer from generation to generation, consequences ripple out until there is repentance.

There are at least two possible responses to this reality:

1) Some national crises are caused by ancestral injustices and sin. No amount of religious posturing (fasting) can address it until there is true repentance. It would be foolish and stubborn of us to not repent of the injustices and sins of our ancestors when we become aware of them. We must take responsibility (not blame) for the past.

2) Your response to God today will impact your children and their children. Don't put them in a position where they are paying for your selfishness and sin. You can set them up for difficulty or success by the choices that you make today. We must take responsibility (not control) for the future.