PROCLAIMING THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR
A brand New Year is here, and most of us are celebrating the end of 2020, which has been a beast. Like many years, 2020 has had good moments, but the pandemic that entered our lives in the early part of the year has left most of us ready for a change. However, we have to remember to change our mindset as we enter 2021.
I stumbled across some verses in Isaiah last week, and they left me puzzled. I wasn’t sure of the verses’ meaning, so I did some searching for commentary, and even the commentaries that I found didn’t provide too much clarification.
Isaiah 61: 1-3
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, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3and 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.
While I am sure that I am still missing some of the meaning, I did grasp that history keeps repeating itself repeatedly. In these verses, the people had once again been in bondage and were starting to wonder if the Lord was real or powerful enough to save them. Does that sound familiar?
These verses show that the Lord declared that “this” would be the year. They would be released from their bondage and a time of celebration was at hand. He would bind the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners.
I know that this verse wasn’t written about the situation that our world has been going through; but, I can find many similar correlations. There are a lot of hurting people right now. People have lost jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. There has been sickness and death to the point that everyone has been touched in some way. We all struggle to stay apart from those that we love and are longing to visit and hug our loved ones.
The grumblings have once again started. Why? How? Where? If?
Why would the Lord let this pandemic hurt so many families?
How could He be so cruel to let us suffer in this way?
Where is the Lord? Has He forgotten or forsaken us?
If God is so powerful, then why can’t He overcome this virus?
Maybe some of these thoughts have run across your mind, and that would only be normal. None of us want to see people suffering, and crying out to the Lord should be our first response. The Lord is not offended by your questions; He is only offended if your trust in Him is shaken.
I certainly place my HOPE and my TRUST in the Lord, and I do believe that He is proclaiming this to be the year of the Lord’s favor. I praise HIM from whom all blessings flow, and even through tears of pain, hurt, or frustrations, I am grateful that He is by my side. He is our guiding light, and I pray that He is releasing us from the darkness of 2020.
Psalms 91:1-16
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Praise the Lord!
To God Goes The Glory!
Have A Blessed Day!
I just found your posts on Pinterest and have officially become one of the GURLS! I love your style, your tips, and your posts but more importantly I love your heart for Jesus! Thank you for being His light in our world! Looking forward to receiving your emails! God bless!