The Spirit of Heaviness - Part 1

To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness--Isaiah 61:2-3

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,


The next few posts will be devoted to the spirit of heaviness...something we all experience often in our lives if we are thinking human beings.  The verses above from Isaiah are beautiful...it is so like our God to give beauty for ashes.  That is truly what He does.  As I said in my previous post...He transforms our deepest pain into our deepest joy. He turns our sorrow into dancing.  He makes all things new. He redeems, transforms and restores. Surrender to Him...allow Him to do that work in you. 

What does it say to do in  verse 3 when we are experiencing the spirit of heaviness...We are to put on the garment of praise.  I can't help but be reminded here of other places in His word where it tells us to put on and put off.

Colossians 3:12-17 says this: Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;  bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Here in Isaiah 61: 3 He is telling us to exchange the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise.  It is a decision. We can put it on and put it off. Girls, we make this decision every day...do we moan and complain...yell and chastise when we are hurting and make those around us feel as bad as we do, or do we make the decision to start praising and worshiping. Do we by faith choose to speak psalms and hymns and spiritual songs...to sing with grace in our hearts unto the Lord and by default to those around us?

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.  It takes courage to sing when the darkness is closing in...but when you do speak and sing those words of faith...His grace is there.  You begin to feed your Spirit and the things of the world with all its darkness begin to fall away. You and those whom the Lord has placed in your care or around you will also be blessed and their faith will be encouraged by your example.  It truly is our choice.  I am facing that choice today...Today Lord I choose to put on your garment of praise...to trust you in the darkness...to know that You are my Portion, my Light, my Joy and the One who lifts up my head. I am closing with the words to Steven Curtis Chapman's song "All Things New".  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Q3NrB_eHM

 ALL THINGS NEW

You spoke and made the sunrise, to light up the very first day
You breathed across the water, and started the very first wave
It was You
You introduced Your glory, to every living creature on earth
And they started singing, the first song to ever be heard
They sang for You

You make all things new
You make all things new

Then the world was broken, fallen and battered and scarred
You took the hopeless, the life, wasted, ruined and marred
And made it new

You make all things new
You make all things new
You redeem and You transform
You renew and You restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You

You turn winter into spring
You take every living thing
And You breathe Your breath of life into it over and over again

You made the sunrise, day after day after day
But there's a morning coming, when old things will all pass away
And everyone will see

You make all things new
You make all things new
Come redeem and come transform
Come renew and come restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You

Now and forever You are making all things new
You're making all things new

Hallelujah...

Much Love
Mom
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