July 20: Lift up your eyes to Jesus and He will lift YOU up!!!

Isaiah 60-64

Isaiah 61:1-3

Amplified Bible (AMP)

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] [a]and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

3 To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion—to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:10-11

Amplified Bible (AMP)

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as [surely as] the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring forth, so [surely] the Lord God will cause rightness and justice and praise to spring forth before all the nations [through the self-fulfilling power of His word].

Isaiah 62:1-5

Amplified Bible (AMP)

62 For Zion’s sake will I [Isaiah] not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest until her imputed righteousness and vindication go forth as brightness, and her salvation radiates as does a burning torch.

2 And the nations shall see your righteousness and vindication [your rightness and justice—not your own, but His ascribed to you], and all kings shall behold your salvation and glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

3 You shall also be [so beautiful and prosperous as to be thought of as] a crown of glory and honor in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem [exceedingly beautiful] in the hand of your God.

4 You [Judah] shall no more be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land be called Desolate any more. But you shall be called Hephzibah [My delight is in her], and your land be called Beulah [married]; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married [owned and protected by the Lord].

5 For as a young man marries a virgin [O Jerusalem], so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

You're not alone! The nation of Israel had a bright future! But they messed up! Over and over and over again! God gave them chance after chance after chance. Maybe you feel there's no hope for you. Oh but there IS hope! Lets read verse 3 again:
"To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion—to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."
Lift up your eyes to Jesus and He will lift YOU up!
Pray this prayer with me:
"Dear Jesus my life is just one mistake and bad decision after the other. My mind is in a prison of unbelief because of my numerous wrong choices. I have chosen what seemed to be an easy path but turned into a rocky treacherous path. I have hurt a lot of people, resulting in hurting myself. I no longer believe I will reach any normalcy in my life, much less reach any dreams I may have had for myself. Please help me to lift my eyes to You and believe Your word. It seems impossible, Jesus. That I would ever be called an oak of righteousness, lofty, strong, magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God????? This is laughable to me and NO ONE would EVER believe any of these words about me! But Your word says it and please help me believe it! You are the God of the impossible and I trust You and Your word. I thank You that I am able to take the first step today Jesus and simply pray these words, however ridiculous they may sound. I praise Your name, Jesus, for even though I'm not worthy, You are. AMEN."