Day 2: Isaiah 61

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.”

Jesus defines this as the purpose of his life on earth in Luke 4. He came to rescue me from the burden of my sin. Without him, I am broken. I am held captive by things that promise to fulfill me but never follow through. Jesus is the only one who keeps his promises perfectly – without manipulation or fine print. With him, I can live with the confidence that I am no longer chained — the empty promises of the world no longer bind me and no longer have the authority to do so.

Stand tall in the shadow of your Savior.

Read other posts in this 31 day series here