Scripture
Isaiah 61:1-4
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;[a] 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.
A few weeks ago I looked through a folder of photos taken at camp the past couple of years with our youth. We would try to go every year to Camp Zephyr in June or July. I reminisced about how passionate all the teens, (and even us adults!) were about our faith and sharing the Gospel when we got home. I shook my head wondering where all that passion and energy went. COVID happened. And the world kind of stopped. I felt defeated, like I wasn’t doing enough to motivate our kiddos to grow and share their faith with others around them. It’s a bit challenging now in this post COVID time with social distancing rules. But this actually betrays a wrong understanding of how God wants his people to be on mission in the world.
Isaiah 61 is a great place to see how Jesus saves us and prepares us for the kind of mission he actually wants us to be on. God’s mission involves redeeming both physical/social and spiritual places of brokenness: Verses 1-3 show how Jesus gathers his people together and cares for both their physical needs (“beauty instead of ashes”, “praise instead of despair”) and reconciles their relationship with God (“oaks of righteousness”). But he doesn’t stop there! These trees get planted. Things that are planted are nurtured, and they grow. Verse 4 describes God’s people rebuilding, restoring, and renewing things that have been broken for generations. Complex issues like this aren’t fixed with a band-aid, but by the slow, intentional faithfulness of God’s people incarnating themselves in broken places over a long time.
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to believe God wants us to have an impact in His world, pushing back against the brokenness of the fall. We either can throw ourselves into the task, often burning ourselves out in the process (because we aren’t Jesus!), or we can despair because the darkness seems too great for us to make a difference at all. But God saves us to be trees, planted in specific places, slowly growing and having an impact in the lives and systems that he intertwines us with, what Eugene Peterson once called “a long obedience in the same direction.” We can trust that God is using us now, and will continue to use us, to accomplish all of his purposes for the world, in His time.
Questions to Consider:
Reflect:
Are you more tempted to overwork yourself trying to fight sin and evil, or become depressed that it’s too much for you to make a difference?
When you see things happening around the world and in the lives of your friends, what aspects of brokenness in the world break your heart?
In your sphere of influence where do you see yourself making the most impact with sharing the Gospel story? Words or actions?
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for healing our wounds, caring for our broken hearts, and entering into a relationship with us because of Jesus. You encourage us that you are planting and empowering us to serve in this world alongside you. You are the king, and already victorious over sin and death, so we can serve without fear of failure or expectation to be a hero. Holy Spirit, give us hearts for the places even now you will plant us, passions for the rebuilding work to do, and patience that it will come in your timing. In Jesus Name, Amen!