Simple Kindness
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Isaiah 61:1-3
1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2. to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3. to grant to those who mourn in Zion -- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
I think just about everyone can pick up on the gist of these verses just by reading the first part of verse 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. How amazing to feel the Spirit of the Lord! Have you ever had one of those moments where everything in the universe seemed to converge, and time seemed to stand still for an instant, and your awareness was so heightened you thought you could almost feel the Holy Spirit? Sometimes the Spirit may manifest itself by affording us a certainty and a knowledge about something – a job choice, a decision to marry or have a child, a call to ministry, traveling down a path we know we should be on, stepping out in faith in a certain aspect of our lives.
We are each called as Isaiah was called to bring good tidings to the afflicted, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and open the prisons of those who are bound. I apply political connotations to these proclamations because of the date! One simple and painless yet powerful way we can fulfill this calling upon our lives is to vote responsibly. Beyond that we are to simply live our lives looking for opportunities to comfort another, offer hope to those who question their circumstances, and do our part to make the world a better place.
Most of us will not be recorded for posterity as was Isaiah. Our calls are usually more personal. That doesn’t mean they’re not just as powerful and just as significant. Isaiah was written at a time long before Christ. Our task of spreading the good news is much easier because our good news has already come to pass: Christ is risen!
My prayer today is that you inhale the spirit of the Lord with every breath you take. And that you bind up the wounds of a hurting world by your acts of simple kindness.
Mary
