impinged

“To give them beauty for ashes” - I love this line in verse 3. On my own I made a terrible mess of my life. Last night I had a dream in which I was crying because of the tremendous guilt I was carrying for all the destruction I caused in my past. But the truth is, I don’t carry that guilt. Jesus has set me free and exchanged my ashes for beauty.

Isaiah is prophesying about the work of Jesus in this chapter. When Jesus begins his ministry by returning to the temple in Nazareth, he quotes these verses saying that this is why he has come. This is the work of Jesus in our lives and the work he want to do through us in other’s lives. This is the mission of the Christ follower, for if we follow him then he dwells in us and his mission becomes our mission. It is our mission to bring good news to the poor, to comfort the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom! I believe Jesus didn’t come to change the world: he came to change individuals so that we may change the world!

Click here to read these verses for yourself