Trees of righteousness

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Hello, my friend…

Today I bring to you a rather familiar passage of scripture. Jesus quoted this passage when He stood in the congregation to read – and those who heard Him recognized that His reading wasn’t so much a recitation of a dead passage as much as it was a living revelation of His Person. I want to spend a few moments today soaking on this passage with you.

When the prophet Isaiah wrote these words, they were looking forward to the time when the Messiah would come to the nation of Israel. They had been under bondage for generations, they had known the rejection of God, they felt the sting of judgment and were anticipating the day the LORD would, once again, receive them to Himself. Perhaps you know that feeling. There have been dozens of songs written on these verses. There have been thousands of sermons preached and books written in exposition of these words, yet today it is my mission to bring them to life in, hopefully, a more personal way.

For Jesus, these words became alive as He suffered on our behalf. As God, He didn’t really feel the sting, the hurt, the pain of suffering. He had witnessed it visually and heard the cries, but had never experienced it. Why would He, after all? In heaven there is no pain, no suffering, no lack. He came to this earth, then, in the form of His own Son, Jesus, in order to walk this world, to experience it firsthand, and to help us walk victoriously in this life. I heard part of a sermon this morning that reminded me of this very poignant realization as the pastor quoted Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night He was arrested: “Father, if there be any way, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.” Jesus was feeling the weight of the coming hours and what He was called to do for us. In that moment, He felt what we often feel when we go through trials and insurmountable situations.

God calls us to share in Christ’s sufferings that we might also share in His life. He doesn’t (necessarily) call us to be crucified like Jesus or be beaten as He was. Yet, there are those who have been, through the centuries, treated exactly so. In our very own modern world of 2026, there are millions around the world who suffer physically for their faith in Jesus Christ – often sacrificing their lives rather than deny the One Who gives life.

One aspect of these verses that no one likes to talk about is our active part of experiencing this power of God. Like Paul, I would like to express this disclaimer: “The following is not the opinion of God, the Church, or any religious organization. It is solely the interpretation of this author.” Remember when Paul was talking to the church at Corinth and he wrote that what he was saying wasn’t directly from God, but his own opinion? It is interesting, then, that God chose to include that into our holy writ. You see, in order for me to minister to the needs of others, I must (often) go through what they are facing in order to fully manifest the power and the Word of God for them. For example, for me to reach the meek, I must be meek. To relate to the brokenhearted, I must have had my own heart broken. To share release of the captives, I must have, at one time or another, been held captive by someone or something. To minister to those in prison, I must have, in some way, felt (or been) imprisoned in my own life. You get the idea. Now, to be fair, there are thousands around the world ministering to those whose situations are totally foreign to the man or woman of God, but I would propose that God allows the minister to feel (through intercession) a part of the burden they are addressing. I don’t, for example, have to have cancer to release the power of God for healing into someone going through that because I know of His healing power that has been displayed in my own life. I may never have been in prison (for real), but I have felt imprisoned in certain areas of my life; therefore, I can share the freedom God offers those who come to Him.

That is why God uses SO MANY different types of people within the Kingdom. I may never reach your friends, but you can. There are those you can talk to that would never listen to me. Go figure! Yet, to try to force my experience of God onto those I have no shared experiences with is the same as pouring alcohol into an open wound. I cause more damage and turn more people away than I do good. God uses our past, He redeems our past, and uses our scars to minister to others who recognize them. Perhaps that is why there are so many different denominations and religious organizations at work in the world today. Some seeking God may wander into a Pentecostal service and be totally freaked out by the whole thing, while that speaks to others richly. Others may be reached by the more liturgical services of the Methodist or Lutheran faith. Again, you understand.

Today, my friend, I want to encourage you to turn fully to God and allow Him to minister to you. He knows your pain. He sees your tears. He hears your cry. But He also offers healing and release to you. God doesn’t want His children to suffer needlessly. He is standing by to open the windows of heaven over you and let His power flow over and into you right now. That thing – that habit, that relationship, that whatever – that has you bound, He wants you to turn it over to Him. It isn’t easy. I understand that better than you may ever know. I struggle, too. But He wants to meet the need of your heart – to fill whatever emptiness that habit is satisfying right now. He wants to be your Lover, He wants to be your Friend that sticks closer than anyone else ever could, He wants to give you strength, He wants to share with you hope, peace, and joy.

May you find the courage to release your situation to Him right now and begin to know the God Who loves you. Then, may you be known by the very God of heaven as one of His trees of righteousness – someone who can provide hope and healing to others.

Be blessed.