Wednesday in the Word: Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61
The Year of the LORD's Favor

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to preach 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,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

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.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins

and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

that have been devastated for generations.

5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;

foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,

you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealth of nations,

and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of their shame

my people will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace

they will rejoice in their inheritance;

and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,

and everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 "For I, the LORD, love justice;

I hate robbery and iniquity.

In my faithfulness I will reward them

and make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Their descendants will be known among the nations

and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge

that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I delight greatly in the LORD;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up

and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise

spring up before all nations.

I usually only share a snippet of a chapter in the bible...a verse...a bit of Truth that has inspired me. But today I wanted to share the entire chapter 61 of the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 61 gives me hope. The book of Isaiah is one of my favorites. There are so many scriptures within Isaiah that are my "favorite". I have dates written beside scriptures...highlights throughout...sticky notes here and there. Yes. I write in my bible. A lot. Some people don't think that's OK. I think I couldn't do it any other way. There is nothing like reading through my bible and coming across a bit of scripture with a notation next to it: 12/02/05, given this scripture when praying for __________" - you fill in the blank. Jobs, finances, family members, depression, anxiety...the list goes on.

The BEST part of writing in my bible is looking back...seeing a notation...reading what I was praying for...and then realizing that God answered that prayer. And had I not written it down...either in my bible or in my journal...I might have forgotten that I prayed that prayer...and I definitely wouldn't have realized that God answered me. And if He answered me, then He MUST have heard me. He hears me. And He hears YOU.

I pray that God bless you today. That He watch over you and guide your steps. That He speak to you in ways you never knew possible. Amen.