Mighty Oaks
Mighty Oaks
One of my favorite places to just take a deep breath and recover is my deck. It is a flurry with birds of more than a dozen different types. It brings peace to my soul.
It has taken time in the midst of commotion or challenges to find that one place that constantly reminds me that God has been with me all along the journey.
When opening the Bible in the morning Isaiah 61: 1-3 seems to be the section that opens more frequently than any other. These are the words that remind me of God’s presence and plan.
Here are the words from Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
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;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment 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.”
Isaiah 61:1-3 English Standard Version (ESV)
“Oaks of righteousness” is what He says is His desire for us to be called.
I lived in Minnesota for 25 plus years. Maple trees were beautiful. But oaks? They were strong. We called them “mighty oaks.” When I consider being called “oaks of righteousness,” I think about Grandma C, my mentor, spiritual mother, friend, and an incredible woman of God.
She was a mighty oak. A planting of the Lord. And oh my goodness was God glorified through her life.
Not that our life was always easy because it wasn’t. She brought a strength and stability in the midst of the storm that was sure and true. She taught me how to see things through God’s eyes and to have a heart for the things He loved. Grandma showed me how to love with God’s heart.
That is what Isaiah 61 is all about: loving like God loves with compassion and a steadfast heart.
This was how Grandma C loved. It is my desire to love the same way.
I am not always good loving this way. I stumble and fall frequently for sure. But in God’s grace and mercy, He makes accommodations every day for my weaknesses and strengths. When I start my day with Him it seems He speaks to me in a multitude of ways. In my quiet time, the Scripture verses that I open set the tone for my responses to the day. Someone may come across my path that has the very words needed for a particular circumstance. When quiet enough, there is that still small voice that speaks volumes into my heart.
I wonder what does Isaiah 61 look like practically in today’s world? I Corinthians 13 comes to mind.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned.
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Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.”
I Corinthian 13:1-8a Contemporary English Version (CEV)
When we bring the good news we are expressing God’s love to those we meet. When we are loving God’s way with patience and kindness, not thinking more highly of ourselves or demanding our own way, we are in a position to bind up the brokenhearted and to comfort those who mourn. We are in a place to bring hope and love because we have been loved by our Heavenly Father.
It is in giving that we receive. It is in bringing hope to others that we find hope continually being renewed within ourselves.
We find in time that the more we realize we all are anointed to bring the good news, things in life become less about us and more about bringing hope to others. This is where we find joy, peace, and satisfaction present in our lives.
We’re not talking about walking away from our life and going on the mission field.
We’re considering that our life is marked by God’s love and life within us. We’re contemplating what life could be like if we understood that the Spirit of the Lord God is upon us. All of us.
The Spirit is on us BECAUSE He has anointed US to bring the good news to the poor. He has sent US to bind up the brokenhearted. He calls US to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Bound by trauma, fear, hatred, resentment, or guilt. Bringing liberty to those bound by addictions of all sorts to a place of strength and freedom, to live full and rich with God’s love and grace.
We by virtue of God’s incredible love and grace are uniquely equipped and prepared to extend the very love we have been given to those we meet each day. Bringing hope, grace, mercy. Giving them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes. Honoring others. Extending the oil of gladness instead of mourning. Offering them hope in the midst of despair. Covering others with the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. Finding the good in them instead of having a critical mindset.
It is in these things we hope to inspire others. Then, they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
It is not in our strength or wisdom nor others that hearts are healed and addictions are broken. We can be an instrument, an encouragement, even a facilitator of love, hope, and strength. It is God who heals. God who sets the captives free. But the joy and peace, the real peace that you feel from the inside out? That comes from getting to be a part of God’s plan extending His love to those we meet.
That’s real love and it comes back in abundance when we extend it to others. We become “Oaks of His righteousness”. We empower others to do the same.
Will you consider becoming a "Mighty Oak?"
