What a strange time we are in right now. The world seems to have stopped, and billions of people are living in fear. But this morning as I continued meditating through the book of Isaiah, I read Isaiah 61 with new eyes. I have heard this passage more times than I can count, but today--in light of everything that is happening--it took on a new light. I hope that these continued reflections from Isaiah bring you hope and encouragement as well!
Isaiah 61
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified
...For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.”
I was reminded of the old song “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord” by Hillsong that is based on this chapter. Though the passage is worded as “me” and clearly refers to the work Jesus will do on Earth, the song is sung with a different pronoun each time: me, you, us.
At first I felt strange hearing “The Spirit of the Lord is upon you”, but as I thought and prayed, I was reminded of the verse “The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you” (Romans 8:11). Yes, this passage clearly points to Christ and His work. But now that we have been saved, raised back to life in Christ Jesus, we can continue that work! This is our calling as followers of Christ. The Spirit of the Lord is upon us.
So I read the passage again--seeing in a new light all of the things that Jesus Christ did, and all of the things He calls His believers to do.
to bring good news to the poor;
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified
In light of all that has happened so far in 2020, it feels strange to say that this is “the year of the favor of the Lord.” And yet I felt urged to plead this before the Throne: that this would be the year of the favor of the Lord--that He would be lifted high as people across the globe are forced to be still.
As people are forced to think about life (and what comes after life), may they see You, Lord Jesus. May they seek You. Find You. Know You.
...For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.”
We plead this promise, Father God. Cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before ALL the nations!
As everyone is forced to be still, may they look up.
May You use evil for good.
May this be the Year of the Favor of the Lord.