“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. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” ~ Isaiah 61:1-3
Beauty for ashes — We hear this phrase and read this passage often in meetings and Bible studies; however, when you dive into the sentences surrounds this popular quote, we learn that there is far more to this chapter than the promise of making beauty for ashes!
We all want to be free and become beautiful, but, as I was a Bible study last Tuesday night, I read this passage with new eyes and felt tears well up in my eyes at the magnificence of the words.
Believers are told that our mission is to share the Good News of the Gospel of the Kingdom with the world. If you are on fire for God, then you can’t help but shout His majesty to everyone around you, but, as I read Isaiah 61:1-3, I realized that there is more to plight than just spreading the news of Yeshua.
According to the Scripture, we are to serve the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, bring light into the darkness, proclaim both God’s year of favor and day of vengeance, comfort and provide for those who are grieving, and anoint them with joy instead of mourning. We are to be there for our brothers and sister in Yeshua and help lead them towards their Heavenly Father.
We can sow as many seeds of the Gospel as we like, but at some point, God is going to call us to help water, sow, and glean the harvest!
When God revealed all of this to me, I heard Him say, “This is the calling I have placed on your life.” Through my upcoming books and blog posts, I feel God using me to reach those trapped or lonely by sharing His Word and pointing them towards them the door where there is freedom. I want to be one of the oaks of righteousness as found in verse 3, and pray that others will join me so that we will become an active forest that displays His splendor!
