Isaiah 61:3 “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Scripture offers us a glimpse into God’s heart. In this verse, He is reminding believers of His love and good for us. We can see His desire for us to be joyful.
When we go through difficult circumstances, it challenges our minds and hearts to give praise. But this reminds us that God is our Rescuer and Comforter who is always active in doing something new and good in our lives.
What Is a “Garment Of Praise”?
Verse 3 uses the word ‘garment,’ a physical item of clothing to represent a person’s inner attitude. God purposely chose the image of exchanging old, damaged, and worn pieces for a new crown, oil and robe He can create in someone’s spirit.
The garment is meant to describe how the Lord will minister to our hearts and minds with truth and turning the heaviness of tragedy into joyful Praise. Wearing this new garment, or becoming aligned with His plans and purposes, leads us to fulfill a promise God made to the Israelites through Moses:
‘(Exodus 19:6) “…you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
God promises the future blessings He planned to bestow on His people. God’s intention to reclaim and redeem the faithful, and the natural response for believers should be gratitude and gladness.
It’s a vision about what Jesus would do when He came to Earth. The Messiah quotes Isaiah 61:1-2a to begin His ministry:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and opening of the prison to those who are bound and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…”
Verse 2 goes on to describe how God’s favor will impact the hearts of His children, which continues into verse 3. A beautiful rebirth, when fear will be replaced with hope.
“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 61:2b-3)
The touch from God will impact the lives and culture of the Israelite nation, in the upcoming time and the distant future.
Turns Our Despair into Praise
The process that turns our sorrow into thanksgiving can only be done by the Lord. But there are ways we can cooperate with Him as He does the work of changing us.
First, we must be willing to bring our hurts and cares to God. He is waiting to hear us pour out our sadness, grief, even devastation, and just the act of voicing those emotions helps us start to release them.
Even though our situation might not be resolve, God sends us a sense of His presence right where we are. In His power, He lays comfort over us like a warm blanket and soothes our open wounds. We find we are able to withstand our pain better than we ever expected.
If we continue to rest in God, our perspective will eventually shift. We will recognize His touch, and we will be stronger. Our focus is more on The Lord and a new peace and grace allows us to lift our Praise to Him.
His love will heal us and bring us closer to Him.
God leads us to rely on Him, not ourselves.
God wants us to experience His power in our lives.
God desires that our trust in Him would grow.
God prepares our hearts for worship.
We Should Praise God, Even in Difficult Times
Becoming a person of praise, no matter what is going on in our lives, actually starts with a decision to put our faith in Jesus. The more we think on this, the more praises we’ll want to give. Soon, a habit of expressing gratitude will take hold in our hearts.
When life makes us weary or tears us down, our thoughts will return more quickly to the Lord who loves us and who has proved His faithfulness over and over. That will stir our hearts to reach for Him with Praise on our lips.
Isaiah’s words are meant to give hope to all. The truth He shares applies to all believers. When we choose to let God restore us, giving Him praise, others who are struggling will be encouraged, and we’ll have the chance to show them more of God’s goodness and glory.
“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God, For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness…” (Isaiah 61:10)
WHOSOEVER WILL WORSHIP MINISTRIES
www.wwwmjesus.net
Assistant: Pastor Wesley Fulton
429 Bayou Rd, La Marque, Tx.77568
Need prayer Ch. Ph: 409/933-9878
