April 18, 2001
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion--
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
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.
"For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
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.
Isaiah 61
Yesterday I had to handle a very difficult situation that God worked in, in amazing ways! As I look back today I see even more that God has done.. yesterday I saw the conversation, the response etc.. today I see what God is doing in me, in my heart... God is binding my wounds as that conversation was healing. It is helping me to grow free from the things that have held me captive all my life and I am being comforted by God, by friends and now by people who have hurt me. The conversation did something to start to restore the beauty that is taken away by abuse... to restore feelings of worth and value. Instead of feeling any despair about the hurts or pain of my life there is only praise and awe of God in my heart! The greater task for me in all of this has been to keep my heart righteous before God, to trust that he was working through people as I am praying about how to work through this area of my life. I was encouraged to have this conversation and my initial response was NO WAY! I could only imagine the negative response and that frightened me more than words can express but my willingness to trust God and that he is working through people in my life has been blessed beyond measure. What has happened in my life is both a display to glorify God and without a doubt shows that I am blessed by God and the knowledge humbles me greatly. The final reminder for me is that GOD is always at work in everything in my life - he causes growth - he makes righteousness and praise spring up before all mankind! There is no telling where things can go from here... there are still difficult tasks before me in order to grow, things that God will lead me through on my journey... now I have this conversation to remind me of how awesome my God is!