Unwrapping Advent: Through Voices of Wisdom Dec 17

Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Day 17
1The Lord God’s spirit is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the poor,
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release for captives, a
​nd liberation for prisoners,
2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and a day of vindication for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3to provide for Zion’s mourners,
to give them a crown in place of ashes,
oil of joy in place of mourning,
a mantle of praise in place of discouragement.
They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
planted by the Lord to glorify himself.
***
10 I surely rejoice in the Lord;
my heart is joyful because of my God,
because he has clothed me with clothes of victory,
wrapped me in a robe of righteousness
like a bridegroom in a priestly crown,
and like a bride adorned in jewelry.
Isaiah 61:1-3, 10, CEB

Joy Despite Circumstances

One sabbath day in Nazareth, while standing in the synagogue before the religious leaders, Jesus read from Isaiah 61, where Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah, a day that every Jew had waited for since Abraham. Jesus proclaimed, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Messiah was there, standing among them. This proclamation should have resulted in a joyful celebration. Instead, it turned into a violent riot that had the religious leaders trying to throw Jesus off a cliff. The word joy in Hebrew means delight, rejoicing, gladness, pleasure, or enjoyment. There was certainly no joy in the hearts of those in Nazareth that day.

In Galatians 5:22, joy is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. This kind of joy results from a deep, committed, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ and is not dependent upon circumstances. Sometimes, however, joy can be overshadowed by the things of this world like worry, doubt, sorrow, or grief.

I experienced this overshadowing in my life several years ago when my then-wife, Pat, was coma-induced as the result of a stroke. We were vacationing in Cancun, Mexico, at the time.

Trying to fly someone out of Mexico, who is in a coma is almost impossible as well as extremely expensive. Believe me, there was not much joy in me during that time. I was frustrated, alone, physically and spiritually exhausted, and running out of funds. Two days later, as I was praying, and on the verge of giving up hope, God sent a miracle from a friend that I had not seen for over fifteen years. The joy  I thought was gone came flooding back with praise and thanksgiving to the Father.

God provided a way to medically fly my wife and me out of Mexico at no cost to us. My wife passed away later that week, not in Mexico, but in Florida, USA. Thanks be to God.

I realized the joy of having Jesus Christ in my life is what gives me strength in any circumstance. I had forgotten that for a moment. The Psalmist reminds us that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” True joy outlives sorrow and every other worldly distraction.

Reflection: Can you remember a time when circumstances tried to rob you of your joy? How did you manage to maintain your joy throughout that experience?

Prayer: Merciful Father, continue to remind me that weeping, and sorrow are temporary but the joy you give me in Christ Jesus is eternal. Amen.

Larry Johnson
Discipleship Team