“…the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…” Isaiah 61:3
What a drudgery life can be when our wardrobe is nothing other than cloaks woven with the threads of a heavy spirit. Sunshine and blue skies seem hollow. The loud laughter of fretless children are irritating. A banquet fit for a king is only to be pushed around on our plates by hands too heavy to lift the forks. Each of us has worn the spirit of heaviness before and Isaiah is promising the children of God that He intends to wrap you in a tailored garment of praise. This garment is made for you by His own hands and it is to His own glory that it must be worn.
My intention is to share from Isaiah 61 with the Meadow family this Sunday morning. I’m relieved that there is no heavy, intricate doctrine to wade through because I need the simplicity in Christ more than anything right now. There is today an ease in my approach to such simple verses, hoping only to encourage the brethren as we could all stand a good dose of it. The verses I hope to share speak only of God’s ability and decree to work a mighty exchange on behalf of those who look to Him alone for hope. The prophet mentions the following in Isaiah 61:1-3:
Good news offered to people who have been made low Healing for the brokenhearted A message of freedom for those taken captive by the enemy The release of those who have been shackled in prison Comfort for all who mourn A removal of humiliating ashes and an endowment of gladdening oil The aforementioned garment of praise for those who have lived with heavy spirits A planting of stability for those who have been uprooted A priceless part of the process of bringing glory to God
Amazingly, I believe that all of these are ours in Christ today. May the merciful God of Heaven appoint our feelings to align with our beliefs. This is a needful exchange in all of God’s children, that we might draw our feelings from the well of our beliefs instead of drawing our final conclusions from the well of our unreliable emotions. May the Holy Spirit bring to life the listless portions of our hearts which have too often bent under the spirit of heaviness. May we stand upright today with arms spread toward Heaven’s throne and declare that we have confidence in the God of The Exchange; let us trust deeply that what He proclaimed to a rebellious Israel nearly 2,700 years ago He will also apply to those of us in Christ. Curse our fickle hearts for shifting when He has provided for them to stand! Great God of Heaven cause in us a willingness to trust with tenacity, to wait with assurance, to march with joyful dependence.
Work your exchange in me!