Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Jesus has come

Sunday, January 7, 2007

Isaiah 60:1-5
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. ... You will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.

Thanks for walking with me through the verses which celebrate Advent and Christmas. I hope your winter is full of joy and peace. I'll begin writing again in a few weeks when Lent begins: in 2007 Ash Wednesday is February 20, and Easter is on April 8. God bless you.

Dave

Most of us learn to control our emotions and not let them get too high or too low. Mental illness is often defined by one's inability to do this. And then here is God telling Isaiah to cast off all he's learned about moderation, throw his arms up and celebrate with all his might.

God does everything well, including teaching us to live with passion. Weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice. And he says, "When I tell you to rise and shine, let everything loose. Let your heart throb and swell with joy."

Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet. Isaiah is the laughing one. The overjoyed, free in the air, flying-toward-God-on-a-breeze prophet. There's one reason for all this joy. Jesus has come. Isaiah had the chance to write about Jesus hundreds of years before he was born. Isaiah listened well, wrote what he heard; and now we repeat his words over and over, year after year, rejoicing with him.

He is so hopeful. No wonder Jesus chose Isaiah 61 to announce his coming..."The Lord has anointed me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."

We are all brokenhearted. We are all captive. We are all imprisoned. And Jesus has come for us.

Wipe away our tears, Lord. Bring peace to our hearts. We are broken, but we are your children, and you will never leave us.

Devotions Archive

Jesus has come

Sunday, January 7, 2007