The Year of the Lord’s Favor
Isaiah 61
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,[a]
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 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.
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 Strangers 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 your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
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 his 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.
In my worship time with Desiderio Domini today, an exciting thing happened. While we were praying together and singing as a team in the glass prayer room overlooking the city, both Chelsea and Emily turned to Isaiah 61 at the same time and asked if they could share from their Bible with us. Little did they know, the other was on the same page! 🙂 After being in awe of this moment, we began to read this verse and it truly spoke to me about the beauty of this year in ministry together.
Here are some snapshots of what we did together as a team today! :
1. We organized a donation room that was piled hoarder style with boxes, random furniture, and various school supplies.
2. We went on a "feeding" and shared nourishment with the evacuees from the recent tropical storm here in Manila. They were living in tent/tarp "shelters" in and out of an abandoned gymnasium.
3. We prayed over the city and with each other.
4. We painted fingernails and spent quality time with some great girls that go to a local Christian school around here. All of these girls share a common history of sexual abuse in their family, and truly loved the genuinely positive and healthy attention we were able to provide them. It was such a blessing to be able to bond with them, and we look forward to spending time with these girls again on Monday. ( no pictures yet )
** all photos courtesy of my beautiful team mate Lindy
