Relentless Pursuit.

Knock, knock, knock.

I looked around the room at all of the invited guests in my apartment playing a board game that evening.

“Who could that possibly be? It must be a neighbor,” I said as I got up to answer my door.

Opened door.

Shock. Anger. Frustration. Confusion.

Why does he keep doing this? Doesn’t he get it?

“What part of GET out and STAY out of my life do you not understand?” I yelled quite forcefully and slammed the door shut. I fought back hot tears and sat back down in the floor. All eyes were set on me.

“WHOSE TURN IS IT?!”

Two weeks later I was on his porch, holding an unwanted Christmas present to return. It was unwanted because of the sender. I wanted to keep my absolutely adorable houndstooth pair of rain boots. But I could not. He HAD to learn. Surely he would become tired of my persistent rejections.

Door opened. No words. Just shoved rain boots in his arms and left.

Letters, donuts, Sonic, and flowers that greeted me at the door for weeks on end would be tossed immediately in the trash can. (Except the donuts and Sonic. This college girl had to eat).

My dad called and asked, “Why are you being so hard on him, Madison?”

I thought for several minutes: Why am I doing this to him? His pursuit is unlike anything I had ever seen. 

“Dad, he’s ruining my plans, my future, my life as I know and love it.”

“I like him. He brings you donuts. You need to eat a little more. You’re looking rough.” 
(Gee, thanks, Dad!)

“If I say yes to something just one time, Dad, I’ll never be able to tell him no again.”

Roughly ten months after that conversation, I found myself staring at the most beautiful ring from the most amazing guy, who was wrapping up the relentless pursuit by asking me to change all my plans, my future, and my life for him. Instead of saying no for the 5,743^rd time, I smiled with tears running down my face and screamed, “YES!”

Now that you know that happened you might think a lot less of me. And you should think a whole lot more of Ryan. We have been married for nearly 3 years now and I still apologize at least once a week for my cruelty towards him during that time all because I was not yielding to the pursuit. Ryan could have given up and stopped at any point, but he chose not to.

Ryan's pursuit of me then (and now) reflects the Lord's pursuit of my heart and soul for my whole life. The Lord graciously, faithfully, and lovingly pursues me day in and day out, regardless of me.

I grew up in church with godly parents at home teaching me about Jesus. I remember exactly where I was when I realized I was a sinner, repented, and trusted in Christ for my salvation. God’s pursuit up to that point was glorious. All the blessings He gave me through my family, Sunday school teachers, and the drama he used on a specific Sunday evening to put it all together shows His sovereignty. God’s first pursuit stirred my heart to see the need of a Savior. 

But the gospel did not stop there in my life. It does not just stop at the time of repentance. The Holy Spirit came in that moment to dwell in a 6 year old’s soul for the rest of eternity. And the journey began.

Elementary. Junior high. High School. College. Work. Friends. Family. Change. Growth. Life. It happens. Life happens.

Ugly. Dark. Worldly. Temptations. Rebellion. Hypocrisy. Pride. Sin. It creeps in. 

But God.

Just like He orchestrated the moments perfectly for me to become apart of the Redeemed, He continues throughout the journey. He watches. He listens. He sees. He knows. He reaches in. He woos. He pursues. He loves. He does not stop. He does not give up. He never lets go. He never tires.

So often I get in the way. Just like I did with Ryan. 

No, no. That is not my plan. That is not what I had pictured. That is not what I had in mind. That is not the way it should go. 

Yet, God continues to pursue my heart. Sometimes He whispers. Sometimes He shouts. Sometimes He uses His Word. Sometimes He uses my shortcomings. Sometimes He uses children's books. Sometimes He uses sunrises. Sometimes He uses flowers. Sometimes He uses experiences. Sometimes He uses memories. Sometimes He uses people. He always uses something to captivate my attention with Himself.

God is relentless in His pursuit of my soul. He is relentless in showing His glory. He is relentless in reminding me who I am in Him, where I should be, and what I am to do. Even when I say no again and again, when I do not understand, when I do not want to listen, when I run in the opposite direction, when I am afraid to say yes, He does not leave me there. In spite of myself, He continues. Praise the Lord!

His graciousness is exceeding. His love is unconditional. His faithfulness is unfathomable. His pursuit is relentlessly beautiful. 

"There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 

You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."

(Psalm 86:8-13,15)

Happy 50th Birthday, Daddy!

The Super Bowl is not the only thing turning 50 this week. My amazing father turns 50 today! I wanted to celebrate the monumental day with a few words about my daddy. 

My mom would say it was love at first sight. And she is probably right. I have thought my dad hung the moon as early as I can remember. I was “Daddy’s girl” from the very beginning. Even though he has only known me for 26 years, I have known him my entire life. He was the first man to hold me in his arms, he was the first man to tell me he loved me, and he was the first man I ever loved. 

Dad made me chocolate milk every single morning until I was about 8 years old. He left for a men’s retreat once, which was probably the first time I remember him not being at home with Mom, Mack, and me. Truth is, Mom could have made it better than Dad, but I was not drinking it. That was our thing. I have not had a glass of milk since. I am telling you, our bond is tight. One non-Dad-made cup of milk and I have never looked at milk the same again. With our strong bond, he shared his passions for sports, the farm, and Jesus with me. 

My love of sports came directly from Kerry. Well, not all sports are created equal. There is football, basketball, and track, but mostly football. NASCAR and golf are used strictly on Sundays to create a better environment for a nap. Saturday afternoons were spent watching college football and playing basketball on our gravel driveway. He was my biggest encourager all through school with sports—spending extra hours in the gym to teach me how to shoot in the trees (tall girls—I sometimes played post at 5’3”), taking me to run and jump at the track on the weekends, and always making sure I remembered sports were not the most important thing in life.

Despite what some may think upon meeting me, I take the title “farm girl” seriously thanks to Ol’ Kerry. We checked cows together nearly every morning that I did not have to go to school. Dad let me steer the truck in neutral while he kicked hay off the back, and he never made me open a fence. Given the opportunity, I would gladly choose to sit on the arm of a tractor chair just to hear him hum as he worked the ground or baled hay. My most cherished memories come from riding in the farm truck with him from Grandma and Grandpa’s house back to ours, listening to him sing songs from his Promise Keepers soundtrack that was always in the cassette player: “If the Lord had not been on our side, all our enemies would’ve swallowed us alive. They would have swept over us. If the Lord, if the Lord, if the Lord had not been on our side.”

That leads me to my most favorite part about Kerry Gillham—he is not just my dad. He is my brother in Christ. He is the one who told me who Jesus is. He is the one who showed me how to live life as a follower of Christ. Dad is so gracious—even in the difficult times of growing up, he showed me Jesus's love, grace, and mercy. He seriously is the most humble person I know. He showed me what it looks like for a man to love his wife as Christ loves the Church. He set the standard high as a tangible example of a man after God. As I grow older (and he does, too, like 50 years old), I see the blessing of him being my earthly father become sweeter and sweeter. I thank my Heavenly Father for such a blessing.

Dad, thank you for everything you have done for me. You are seriously one of my most favorite people on the planet! Thanks for being your goofy self. Most importantly, thank you for sharing the Gospel with me at a young age and living it out as an example for all to see. Your influence on my life and others’ lives for the last 50 years is incredible. I am thrilled to watch how the Lord will use you in the next 50 to come. I am SUPER grateful to call YOU mine! 

Happy 50^th birthday, Daddy! I love you forever!

Trinity.

Dearest Trinity,

I walked into the doors of your gathering place for the first time nearly five years ago on August 8, 2010. I came to you as a little, typical church girl, only missing church a handful of times throughout my life. With that type of background comes a certain number of usual experiences. I had seen the worst kinds of hurt within the walls of a church building affect those near and dear to my heart, and I had lived the lifestyle that comes with a ritualistic routine of attending church every Wednesday and twice on Sundays, being whoever I wanted to be the rest of the time. 

Before jumping to any sort of conclusions, I was still a “good kid.” Looking back, I know there is so much more to the daily walk of a Christian than how I lived from age 6 to 17.  At age 17, God shook my idea of church and a Christian life up by moving us to another church about 20 miles away from home. Bless my parents’ hearts; I fought them to a nasty end. I realize now that I was only fighting the discomfort of the needed growth that I knew should take place. Really, God was using that country church to prepare me for my five years with you. He shook up my life, just a little bit, to break me out of the same ol’, same ol’ and desire more.

Then, I met y’all. Instantly, Trinity became the place I would call home for the rest of my adult life. You became my family. The church was real, open, loving, and most of all, gospel-centered. You created an environment that this little church girl was unfamiliar with—whether that was at the worship gathering, prayer meeting, Sunday lunch, Christmas parties, or in the middle of Downtown Diner. For the first time, I was truly experiencing the church being the people, not the building where they meet.

Words are not adequate in explaining how God has used you to shape me into who I am today and who I will be until He calls me home. Trinity has definitely had an eternal impact on my soul. You have shown me the lasting importance of the gospel and preaching it to myself each and every minute of each and every day. You have cultivated a love for the Word that I had not enjoyed before. You created a place for me to use my gifts by teaching Sunday School for three and a half years. You fueled my passions of caring for the orphans around the world. You walked with me through the worst and best times of life, maybe not even knowing. Your love and grace allowed me to be open and honest. You always pointed me to Jesus.

Having had the amazing opportunity of worshipping, living in community, and being apart of the faith family for the last five years, I know Trinity is familiar with transitions. People come, and people go. As Ryan and I prepare to go in a couple of weeks, I felt led to try to put into words my abundant thanks for all you have been to me. God has used Trinity in mighty, glorious ways, and He will continue doing so, even with little church girls, like me.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:3-6.

Love always,

Madison Russ

Sole Purpose.

Valentine's Day marked six months into my first year of being a teacher (and when I first began typing this blog...time has gotten away from me, but decided today it needed to be shared); I am now ten days shy of nine months and the completion of my first year. I think I have experienced about all I can--the good, the bad, the fun, and the not so fun. I have learned thousands of lessons, reflected on many situations, made tons of decisions, and had several epiphanies on my purpose as an educator. One of those epiphanies has been stirring around my heart since the AHA! moment occurred. I would say it is my main purpose in the education field. Something so profound, if I recall it in every moment and practice it as my sole purpose each and every day, it will always keep me from simply being just "a teacher".

As early as Kindergarten, I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would simply respond, "A teacher." I could not give anyone a reason for my choice. I had no exact purpose behind the plan. No one in my family was in the education field. I had only been in school for less than a year, but that was what I desired to be. 

There were only three times I thought I was going to change my mind. The first time was in fourth grade. My cousin was graduating from high school and was headed to pharmacy school. I wanted to be exactly like him and someone said something about lots of money. When I found out about all the math and science in my future, I quickly ran back to "a teacher" (no one told me about those lovely elementary math courses at SWOSU).

In high school I deviated from the plan by saying I wanted to go into the medical field. I do not do blood. I do not do puke. I do not do snot. I do not do waste of any kind. (I know, I know. I will have to handle it one day in my classroom and in my own home; the Lord will have to give me the strength is all I can say). After passing out from watching a video of an incident I would potentially deal with in the medical field, I went back to the plan of being "a teacher."

I had a quarter life crisis in the middle of my college years. I changed my major for a whole two weeks to social work because I did not think being "a teacher" was enough. God, in His great faithfulness, put me back on track a couple of weeks before I found out my college was no longer offering a social work degree. That was the end of second-guessing my career choice. I had run out of time. I was going to be “a teacher.”

Looking back, even as far back as fourth grade, I chose another career that the world would deem more meaningful, more important, or more significant. Deep down, I knew that was an incorrect assumption. I knew being “a teacher” had an essential purpose—even if I could not adequately put it into words. After all, teachers do FAR more than just teach. I had seen it first hand. 

As a follower of Christ, I know I am called to ministry--no matter what occupation I have. My mission field happens to be an elementary school in rural Oklahoma. Of all things Christians possess to share and show to the world, the greatest is love.

Had my wedding been normal and not in the middle of a tornado, the familiar love passage would have probably been read. Although, this passage of scripture is not just for the husband and wife. It is for everyday life—including in my workplace, my classroom. (I will be the first to say I am the furthest from perfection in exhibiting this real love to my students. This post is for me more than anyone).

Love is patient and kind…even when I did not receive the amount of sleep I needed, a child is ruining my lesson plan, and the Kindergartener inside of me wants to call names back and throw a fit in the middle of the rug. 

Love does not envy or boast...even when my children failed that test and the teacher’s class next door rocked it, or when my children were perfect all morning. Chances are, it had NOTHING to do with me (and just wait until afternoon).

Love is not arrogant or rude…even when that whole day went just as expected or I have repeated myself one thousand times in the first two minutes.

Love does not insist on its own way…even when it would be easier to go on and pretend they all are listening and understand. I may just need to stop and listen.

Love is not irritable or resentful…even if this is the fifth time to say that kid’s name and it is only 8:20am. I must wipe the slate clean every second.

Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth…even when it is hard to discipline. I cannot leave a child where they are; I must teach them the right way.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

When a teacher shows this real love in the classroom, the children thrive. They know someone will fight for them, believe in them, wish the best for them, and never give up on them. The children will recognize the teacher will ALWAYS love them, even when they are no longer in that classroom.

During my undergraduate studies, a person in the education field tried to convince me that loving children is matter-of-factly not a reason to pursue a degree in education. My argument is when you mean the kind of love discussed in 1 Corinthians 13, there is absolutely no better reason to pursue a career as “a teacher.”

If I have the best classroom management skills, perfectly elaborate and efficient lesson plans, the highest test scores, and countless professional development hours but have not love, I am nothing. My students and I gain nothing. Love is a teacher’s sole purpose.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." 

1 Corinthians 13:1-8.

Amazing Grace.

Over the last few years, I have learned that transparency in the life of a Christian is imperative for actual growth and community. With that being said, I am going to be transparent with those of you reading this for a moment: I struggle with forgiveness. This affects my life in two major, ugly ways. First, I have a hard time forgiving people who have wronged me, and consequently, it is difficult for me to understand the magnitude of God’s forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice. During certain times of my life, I find myself doubting if God could REALLY forgive a sinner like me. Quite frankly, I have to consciously fight to not hold grudges against a person after just one wrong offense towards me or a loved one. I know I have and endless amount of offenses against God. Thankfully, when I experience times like these and need to take nothing but truth in, God faithfully leads my heart to remember the Gospel.

Have you ever experienced those sweet moments where Scripture comes to life and manifests deep down in your soul? Of course, we have the Holy Spirit to reveal the Word to us every time we dig into it, but somehow truths from stories you may have read 500 times and think you fully understand, jump off the page, take residence in your heart, and begin to saturate your life upon reading them for the 501^st time. I have written about one of those dear moments before, and I experienced that again a couple of weeks ago when I reread a passage of the Bible that was mentioned in Mingling of Souls (Side note: I totally encourage you to read that book!) 

The Book of John, chapter 8, verses 2-6a say:

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him that they might have some charge to bring against him.

Imagine with me, for a moment, that you are that woman. You are the one being dragged to the temple and put down in front of a crowd of "righteous" accusers, in front of the holy and truly righteous Lord. But you do not recognize that is who He is…yet.

They shout to this man you have heard about, the one who has done no wrong. He is the one who is healing the lame, giving sight to the blind, freeing people from demons, feeding five thousand, calling out the sins of the self-righteous, and the one that people are whispering about potentially being the Son of God, the Messiah. People follow this man across the countryside to hear Him speak.

Now, you find yourself in the temple amidst the experts of the Law. These people are telling Him of your sin, your disgrace. They are reminding Him of what the law says you deserve: death. You deserve death by being stoned for your sin. 

Scripture goes on to say in verses 6b-8:

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.

You are all alone in the middle of this crowd. You are afraid, vulnerable, ashamed, but worst of all, you are guilty. You are guilty of what these people have accused you of. And that is just the one sin they caught you in and know about. You are hoping they do not know anymore. 

Scripture does not go into detail on what the woman did in the next few moments. However, I know if I were this woman, I would ball up on the ground and brace myself for the stones that were to come. I am guilty, and I know there is no way out. On top of that, most of the gathered people act as if they are sinless, and the woman had to be almost certain that Jesus was. She had no chance of escape. 

But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman before him. (verse 9)

I am sure she heard the large rocks drop to the ground through her cries as each person started to walk away, and I cannot help but wonder if she thought they just had terrible aim. She knew death is what she deserved. 

Nobody knows how long she was there. Jesus had been scribbling in the dirt and I, for one, would love to know what He was scribbling. Was He channeling his inner early childhood educator and taking a break to play? (Highly doubt that one, but doing what I do, I did think about it). Was He documenting all of her transgressions? Was He jotting out what He was soon to do for her and all the rest of humanity's sin? Was He writing her new names in Him once he overcomes death? Redeemed. Forgiven. Adopted. Beloved. Beautiful.

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (verses 10-11)

After all the accusers had disappeared, Jesus walks over to the woman and asks if any have accused her. I would guess her eyes were still full of tears and she was a little disoriented. Minutes before, she was planning to experience her own death. I bet her head spun around, and she jumped up in disbelief to find He was the only one left. Then, she responds and addresses him as “Lord.” Her eyes were opened and she saw who He was. The ONLY person who could rightfully accuse and judge her says He will not condemn her. The ONLY person who could offer real grace and forgiveness shares it with her.

Can you imagine her walk home?

Everybody in town probably felt as if they were seeing a dead person walking. According to the law, this woman should have been killed.

Can you imagine the change in her heart and life over the following days? She had experienced grace beyond belief.

Can you imagine hearing her talk of this man named Jesus--the one who showed such mercy, grace, forgiveness, love, gentleness, and compassion?  

She was completely undeserving of His response. It had to be impossible for her to not share with everyone.

Can you see her following after Jesus to the ends of the earth, wherever He was leading? 

Jesus had become her Lord.

Scripture does not reveal how this woman responded or what became of her after this encounter with Jesus. I do know she had been changed forever because of Him. How do I know that? Because when I saw my own sin, shame, and disgrace and recognized my desperate need of salvation, Jesus was standing there, offering forgiveness and amazing grace to save me. I am the wretch the song speaks of.

Since I often become one of the self-righteous accusers with a rock in my hand (and more times than not, the last one to walk away), I find myself wallowing in my own shame, listening to the lies of the Deceiver who is saying there is no way Jesus could forgive someone like me. This is the reason why this passage has made such an impression on my soul the last couple of weeks. I literally have thought about it nonstop. What amazing grace!!! In the words of Paul Tripp, "There is no life so deeply and tragically sinful that it's beyond the reach of God's amazing, rescuing grace."

The woman in John 8 is me. Whether you know it or not, that woman is you, also. The most important questions now are: do we trust the Righteous Lord fully for our salvation and forgiveness or do we think we can clean ourselves up? Do we believe Jesus is who He says He is and that He desires to give His amazing grace or do we believe there is no possible way He could forgive us for that sin?

I believe Jesus! I am taking His helping, gentle, healing hand, getting up, chasing wholeheartedly after Him, and forever singing of, speaking of, and striving to share His amazing grace! 

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. 
I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.

'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear, and Grace my fears relieved; 
How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. 
'Tis Grace hath brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures; 
He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.

When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. 
We've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we first begun."

Isaiah 61.

Just a few weeks ago, I began a journey through Isaiah. I have read the book of Isaiah several times, but I wanted to approach this time differently. I wanted to read it like I had never read it before. We all know how it feels to read a story or watch a movie for the first time. It is exciting! We are on the edge of our seats, anticipating what is going to happen next. Even if it becomes our favorite movie that we watch every free weekend or we appreciate the novel so much that we decide to read it every summer, it is different because we are already familiar with the story line. We hear all the time and read in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word is living and active. In just my few weeks in this book, I can definitely attest to Hebrews 4:12. I have seen new things within passages and seen things differently in the very familiar passages.

Every day I am amazed by God’s omniscient power. In reading the pages of Isaiah, the amazement grows. He calls Isaiah (whose name means "The LORD saves") in the first few chapters and reveals occurrences to come. Babylon is going to take Judah captive for 70 years. It has not even occurred yet, and will not for about a century and a half, but God already starts revealing how He will rescue Judah. Oh, but also within the passages of rescue, God is revealing what is coming in the much later future—the Messiah—the One who will eternally rescue His people.

We see several instances of foreshadowing and prophecies that are fulfilled by Jesus’ birth, life, and death, written hundreds and hundreds of years prior to Jesus coming to earth (mind-blown?). Several verses within Isaiah prophesy the birth of Christ; an example would be Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Thanks to Matthew 1:18-23, we know that came true.  Other passages cover his death. One whole chapter is Isaiah 53 and with our accounts of the arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection in the gospels, we know of whom this is speaking.

In addition, there are many passages that talk about the freedom after being taken captive in Babylon for years that foreshadow something we have yet to see in full. Which leads me to chapter 61 of Isaiah.

“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;

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

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.

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.

Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;

foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;

but you shall be called the priests of the LORD;

they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;

you shall eat the wealth of the nations,

and in their glory you shall boast.

Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;

instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;

therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;

they shall have everlasting joy.

For I the LORD love justice;

I hate robbery and wrong;

I will faithfully give them their recompense,

and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their offspring shall be known among the nations,

and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge them,

that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

and as a garden causes what it sown in it to sprout up,

so the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise

to sprout up before all nations.”

Before we go any further, let’s look at Luke 4:16-21. Scripture says, “And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

Before Judah had even been captured by Babylon, before the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, before sin had entered the world, God had ordained a Rescuer for His people: Jesus. He is the One who will continue to bring Isaiah 61 to fruition. He already is working Isaiah 61 within our lives even now. We already have the blessing of seeing the miracles of Christ in our daily lives.

Jesus brings good news, binds the brokenhearted, proclaims freedom to the captives, frees the prisoners, proclaims salvation and tells us He is coming back, comforts those who mourn, brings beauty from ashes, makes us glad, gives a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, plants us as oaks of righteousness so that He may be glorified. He rebuilds, He restores, He repairs devastations. He gives us everlasting joy.

Praise Him for allowing us to see glimpses of this perfection in our world, in our loved ones' lives, in our own souls! I can assure you what is to come, the completeness of Isaiah 61, will be beyond even our wildest dreams. It will be even better than the snapshots we have now of Christ's glorious power that brings beauty from ashes. After all, at times our lives still look like ashes, our hearts still break, our spirits still grow faint, we still mourn, we are still tempted to being taken captive, and we are still devastated. 

The glorious rescue is still taking place, yet to be completely fulfilled. The day is coming when the Redeemed will be able to look at Jesus and say without hesitation, without fear, and without a doubt, “I delight greatly in the LORD! My soul rejoices in my God! He has clothed me in salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, like a groom decks himself like a priest and a bride adorns herself with jewels. He causes righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations!” Oh, what a day!

“What a day that will be, 

when my Jesus I shall see, 

and I look upon His face, 

the One who saved me by His grace, 

when He takes me by the hand, 

and leads me through the Promised Land! 

What a day, glorious day that will be!”