And so today we dig a bit deeper into verses four through seven of Isaiah 61…Good stuff here, friends. How is Lectio working out for you? This slow process is truly one that will reveal what God wants to tell you if you silence yourself and do it. I was resistant for a long time but when I finally decided to try it out, I was speechless. That’s a big thing for me.
You can read three versions we studied this week here, but for the sake of brevity (and everyone says “Amen, Word Girl!), let’s go with the NLT version:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed. They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations.
5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards.
6 You will be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God. You will be fed with the treasures of the nations and will boast in their riches.
7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy.
Verses one through three focus on what His son, who had yet to come at the writing of this chapter, would do to prepare us to be able to be called the “priests” He mentions in verse six.
Strong and graceful oaks do not become strong and graceful by just sitting in the soil.
They become strong and graceful by the testing of the strength of their roots. Without strong roots, they cannot be graceful because if they aren’t anchored firmly into the ground, then there’s no graceful – just a falling down.
To deepen our roots, we have to accept that Jesus will comfort the brokenhearted, release captives, free prisoners, give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, and praise instead of despair.
When I first read this years ago, I thought “How nice for those who are in prison.” Seriously.
But the “higher up and deeper in” I got, I realized that the captive, the prisoner, and the brokenhearted was none other than myself.
Jesus came to do all of that for me. And you.
Doesn’t that just take your breath away?
He binds up our broken hearts, releases captives, frees prisoners, gives beauty for ashes, replaces mourning with joy, and despair with praise.
He revives us. Brings us back to life.
But He doesn’t expect us to just go on with our lives after saying a quick “thank you very much.”
We see this in verses four through seven because THEN He reveals what He desires the redeemed to actually DO.
Rebuild.
Revive the cities that have been dead for many generations. Minister to others through our testimonies but giving the glory to God.
In the Old Testament days, God-ordained priests were liasons between God and His people. They shared God’s word with others and brought concerns and sins to God from the people.
Jesus changed all of that.
Verse six confirms that all believers are priests of the Lord that can 1) Read God’s word and seek to understand, 2) Confess their sin directly to God, and 3) Minister to others ALL BY THEMSELVES.
And so through our brokenness that earned us freedom, joy, praise, and a crown of beauty, we can rebuild.
Ourselves and others.
Through only Him.
Other verses on rebuilding:
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. – Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)
And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. – 1 Peter 2:5 (NLT)
He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. – Titus 3:5 (NLT)
The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes. – Isaiah 58:11-12 (NLT)
Would you add any other verses? What do you think about what you have read this week? Please share in the comment section so others can learn through you as well!
OH – and if you want to hear an amazing song by Christy Nockels about rebuilding, click here.
God wants us to be free and once we can get to that point, that is just the beginning of the joy we can have in our lives. I like how you mentioned: “But He doesn’t expect us to just go on with our lives after saying a quick “thank you very much.”” If there is anything that I am hearing God speak to me is, especially for us women where our plates are beyond full, we need to share our testimonies to encourage and uplift each other and I see that as part of rebuilding not only for ourselves but giving God the Glory. Many time, we can’t take that next step because of what people might say or think about us. Our image might get ruined but at the end of the day, God knows our heart and is it being selfish by portraying a fake image or is it being true to Him by saying, I am weak and I need you Lord. I am also realizing that there is only one opinion that matters, His! I need to be right with Him first before I think of trying to build my image for someone. The scripture that comes to mind is, Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” If that work is rebuilding, let’s do it for the Lord! Others will definitely see!
The ‘will be’s’ get me. I often see my life as futureless because of the pain in the past; not so, says the LORD!
I love how you used the word, ‘revive’ (and Christy Nockels’ song!). It made me think of resuscitation and defib machines. The shock a defib administers can not not have an effect – Jesus is the defib to my soul; shocking back to life even though I thought I was way past dead and gone.
I shared this on Monday’s but I did it on Wednesday, so I wanted to post here. This weeks has been a beautiful perspective shift and reminder to me. I’m grateful for God’s ever extended grace. Here were my thoughts on both of this weeks verses and posts:
Ok, so I’ve broken this one down into even smaller segments then it already is. Didn’t know that was even possible! LOL! But after reading through the new verses on Monday, there were several things that stood out to me. When going into step two – wondering how they applied to my current situation, I couldn’t see clearly. It seemed muddled. So I decided to put it aside mull it over, and let the Lord speak when He was ready.
So today I had one of those aha, shake me to my boots, make me get up and dance moments. Trying to sum it up will be difficult but I will try…Last November God gave me this verse as I was branching out on what I believed to be “my new ministry”. When I read the first verses, I was like “YES! God has appointed me for a purpose of addressing these issues in women’s lives that I see that, I have struggled with, and He’s going to use ME to bind up the brokenhearted and free the captives…yada, yada, yada”.
The path since that place of excitement has been nothing less then, painful and death of a vision. I have wanted to run from the situations I was facing because they were hard and painful, especially because I felt like I was seeing people make choices that would only lead into more captivity and destruction. The flesh side of me was hurt because I was so easily replaced as God moved me out of my place of “influence”, and I obviously had put way to much of my value and identity on what God had “called ME” to do. There was waaay to much flesh involved.
So….that leads me to this weeks reading (Isaiah 41:4-7) I think the two main things that stood out to me were “rebuild ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed…you will be known as ones specially chosen by the Eternal as priests; people will seek you as ministers of God”. I think i struggled with this weeks so much because I felt so convicted of my false perspective last week. There was a certain amount of shame that I had gotten in the way of what God in the way of what God was doing. And I don’t know how to reconcile this to what seems to be standing out this week.
But today…oh today, God in His gracious mercy has spoken and this is what I hear Him saying as I read all the verses through again – old and new – is this: He had indeed given me these verses last year, but I had misplaced my role in them. He was the one who binds up the brokenhearted, He is the one who sets the captives free…it is Him and only Him. My role, is that I am the one “grieving in Zion” – He is calling me to a place of intercession, and that is a place of brokeness.
This journey, this process, these situations have indeed broken me….they have broken my heart as I see places of bondage in my own life, and the brokeness and bondage I see in those around me because of lies of the enemy. The weight of that crushes me, and drives me to my knees. I have fought being in this place, carrying this weight.
But God has been whispering to me, that the weight and the grieving are only there to drive me to my knees. There on my knees, in that agony of the soul where there is no where to hide, I come before Him emptied and surrendered. I lay myself before Him in humility, and there an exchange can happen. He doesn’t intend for me to carry that burden, He wants to exchange my yoke for His. In that place, He wants to give me beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy instead of mourning, and the spirit of praise, instead of heaviness and depression. In that exchange I’m changed. I’m made more into His image, I am changed to bear more of His likeness, that will ultimately cause me to grow in grace and be an oak of righteousness. The work in me that is happening is one that HE is doing. The Master Gardener is doing this in me so that ultimately, I will point all who look at me back to Him. As to those I’m interceeding for…I am only responsible for bringing them before the Heavenly Father. The freedom, the binding of the brokenhearted, the exchange of beauty for ashes is His job – it’s between Him and them.
As I get my perspective right, and In that exchange that He is doing in my life, He will be able to use me, to be a repairer of the ruins and a minister of His grace. It’s never been about God being able to use me. However if I am not “right sized” in my perspective, and am deriving my value from what I do and how well I do it, its for my glory and not His. If I am “right sized” in this exchange and He is put in His proper place, then all glory goes to Him regardless of me – my failures or my sucesses. The glory goes to Him because He is flowing through me and making me a more perfect reflection of Himself.
I don’t know if this makes sense to anyone else, but it touches me deep down in the core of my being. It is the thing that is combating the lies and peeling away another layer of my onion away. It is speaking to me right where I am . It has been hard, hard, hard the last couple of months…but God is doing a work in me that is HUGE. I am humbled and grateful. I pray that these truths will sink deep in my souls so that I can finally be freed from the lies that derive value from working to earn my value, the love of others, and His love and acceptance. I long to be comfortable in my own skin, see myself with the eyes of Love that He sees me with…and love that person too. Not a self righteous love of self…but one that sees exactly the mess I am and know that it’s a beautiful mess because its covered by His reflection. I am His, and He is mine and that fact alone will be used in my life, and those around me.