"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair…”
Isaiah 61:1-3
A few years ago, I was going through a tough season of major heartbreak. I was absolutely crushed and broken to the core. Ever been there before? Ya not so fun. But, it was during that time I found myself in Isaiah where the verses 61:1-3 leaped into my brokenness and immediately I wanted to cry out, “YES, YES Lord I want that!!” I so resonated with these words and longed for Christ to breathe this promised redemption, restoration, and freedom into and through my veins.
Since then, the Lord has done (and continues to do) a tremendous work in me, however I find myself continually asking Him for those verses to become an even greater reality through me. God is such a good Father who desires wholeness for His children. And like it or not, I’m realizing He is a committed Daddy who won’t relent until we work together through my areas of darkness, insecurity, and captivity. Faithful as He is, He has been sifting those rocks to the surface that are holding me back and keeping me from the abundant life He has to offer.
The more and more I learn about the character of God, the more I’m amazed by the Creator that He is. He is the One that births life from nothingness. And these words penned from His heart in Isaiah tell us He longs to birth beauty from these ashes of ours. Replace our mourning with rejoicing and clothe our areas of hopelessness with praise. He is a God who lavishes love and brings out the finest wine when the tap is dry and the party seems over.
So maybe you’re a bit like me, and sometimes allowing God into those areas of darkness is tough. Because, that might mean acknowledging pain, disobedience, shame, disappointment, and embarrassment. But I can promise you that through the obedience of confession and transparency with the Lord (and maybe even a trusted friend), those places of darkness and brokenness are a fertile soil for Him to sprout seeds of beauty, freedom, joy, and life...
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin
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