Isaiah 61:1-3 (NASB)
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
The day will come will Jesus will comfort those who mourn and give them the oil of gladness in place of their mourning. We mourn in this life and sometimes wonder if God cares about our suffering, but He has promised a glorious future. Whatever we are going through today is temporary and temporal; let us keep our eyes on the eternal and ethereal.
Lord God, help us always to remember that no matter how deep our mourning or how painful our suffering today, You will free us from pain and sorrow. If we prepare ourselves to spend eternity with You, we will never feel pain or sorrow again. Thank You for the glorious future promised to us; make us ready. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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