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| flower image courtesy of Charmingly Saavy |
"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." Isaiah 61:1-3 (ESV)Sometimes my blog posts inspire an illustration, and sometimes it all starts with a Bible verse that just begs to be illustrated. This post is the latter. Our pastor read this Scripture last Sunday and I knew I wanted to illustrate it and mediate on it further.
This is the Scripture that Jesus reads in the temple early in His three ministry years, and then declares, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21).
All that God promises is fulfilled in Jesus! I don't want to miss the glory in this. Do we get what Jesus is offering us?
Everything.
Do we get what He asks us to bring?
Our nothing. Our poverty. Our humility. Our broken hearts. Our chains. Our ashes. Our mourning. Our faint spirits.
He doesn't reject any of these! He asks that we come with the empty hands of faith, ready to receive all He gives.
"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 (ESV)I don't know if the promises in these verses will see their full fulfillment in this sin-broken world and in our still-fleshly, yet made-new hearts.
Right now death is mixed with resurrection. Joy with sorrow and suffering.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 (ESV)I love the picture of real life painted in these verses. Afflicted, but not demolished. Scratching our heads at our circumstances, but not despairing. Groaning, but groaning with hope.
"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?" Romans 8:23-24 (ESV)I don't know what you need Jesus to do for you today, but I do know that great hope is found in Him, and only in Him!
If you're suffering today, please ask someone who loves Jesus to pray for you. For our friends who are suffering, let's pray these verses for them.
You can get the printable Isaiah 61 Bible verse coloring page HERE or by clicking on the image below!*
Jesus, I need you to ___________ (for me or for someone else). I trust you to do this and make us trees of righteousness (clothed in Your righteousness alone!) so that You may be glorified through us.
QUESTIONS to ask about the verses:
1. In what ways are you suffering today and need Jesus to help and heal you?
2. Is there anything that you feel is too hard for him?
2. Is there anything that you feel is too hard for him?
3. In what ways have you seen God already do the things He promises in this verse?
p.s. My title today is snatched from this song by Shane and Shane:
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