The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to the prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called the oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3
Isaiah 61:1-3
I was reading this passage last night for my Perspectives class and I could hear Beth Moore in the background, passionately proclaiming this word. I have really grown to love it and last night, all I could think was "spring"! Well, that's not really all, but I was thinking how wonderful it is to be a planting of the Lord. To be a new life in Him, to glorify Him, to become a mighty Oak, of righteousness.
What is a favorable year of the Lord? Is it one without mourning? or death? or ashes? or faintness? No, it's one where God provides the hope in all those things: oh, to be anointed with gladness, to wear a mantle of praise, to see beauty in ashes. And the best part - to be set free, to proclaim liberty in all that binds my heart.
Sometimes, actually often, I feel overwhelmed by grief, or sadness and life in general. I am the original brokenhearted one. If I never was, these verses would mean nothing to me at all. The hope I see in these verses is enough to make me cry. I wonder sometimes if God really can make my ashes into beauty... a brokenheart free, full of liberty. Of course, He can. Will I let him? That's another story...
What is a favorable year of the Lord? Is it one without mourning? or death? or ashes? or faintness? No, it's one where God provides the hope in all those things: oh, to be anointed with gladness, to wear a mantle of praise, to see beauty in ashes. And the best part - to be set free, to proclaim liberty in all that binds my heart.
Sometimes, actually often, I feel overwhelmed by grief, or sadness and life in general. I am the original brokenhearted one. If I never was, these verses would mean nothing to me at all. The hope I see in these verses is enough to make me cry. I wonder sometimes if God really can make my ashes into beauty... a brokenheart free, full of liberty. Of course, He can. Will I let him? That's another story...
I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise To spring up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61:10, 11
Isaiah 61:10, 11
Spring up, in righteousness and praise, before all the nations - proclaim the Lord, your God!
2 comments:
This is one of my favorite passages also. And Jesus' too. He loved it so much it became his ministry mission statement. (Luke 4)
And that moment was just amazing, I'm certain. I'm not sure they were ready for Him - I hope we are!!
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