Day Eight
Verses For The Day
Isaiah 61:1-2
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
This is not one of the usual prophecies that we hear every Christmas. Isaiah was given this word 800 years before the birth of Jesus and is one of many prophecies of the coming of Christ in Scripture. What makes it stand out is that this passage is the one that Jesus Himself chooses to announce that He is the one that the scripture is talking about. The wait for the Messiah, The Christ, is over.
In Luke 4 verses 18 to 21, Jesus reads these very words from Isaiah. It is one of my favourite passages of scripture! In a crowded synagogue in his home town, Jesus rolls up the scroll after reading and sits down with all eyes on Him. You can feel the crackle of electricity in the atmosphere, you can cut the tension with a knife. I can imagine this dramatic silent pause as everyone waits to hear what Jesus is going to say. These people think they know who Jesus is. He is the carpenter, Joseph and Mary’s son, the guy who they grew up with, but He is going to tear up what they thought they knew.
This is a breakthrough moment.
Maybe you have heard about Jesus but have never met Him. Or perhaps you have grown up with Him so that He seems so familiar. Either way, do you think that you know who Jesus is? Jesus says to you that today is a breakthrough moment in your life too.
The Christ of Christmas, the baby in the manger, does not stay a baby. He is the one that you have been waiting for.
Jesus declares today that He is the one that binds up your broken heart, He breaks the bondage that holds you, He releases you from the darkness in your life that blinds you and holds you down. His grace and mercy have forgiven your debts and you are truly free. For ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free’ (Galatians 5:1). A life fully alive!
This is the truth that we should celebrate every morning and especially at this Christmas Season.
Are you needing a breakthrough? Praying; waiting; reading scripture for a clue to a change, a new beginning, an end to anxiety; freedom from whatever is binding you. The waiting may seem endless. We don’t always get the answer we want or are expecting in the timing we would like, but God always hears our prayers. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves exactly who it is we are praying to and how much He loves us.
Pray today for a fresh revelation of who Jesus actually is and declare it over your circumstances.
In Luke 4 verses 18 to 21, Jesus reads these very words from Isaiah. It is one of my favourite passages of scripture! In a crowded synagogue in his home town, Jesus rolls up the scroll after reading and sits down with all eyes on Him. You can feel the crackle of electricity in the atmosphere, you can cut the tension with a knife. I can imagine this dramatic silent pause as everyone waits to hear what Jesus is going to say. These people think they know who Jesus is. He is the carpenter, Joseph and Mary’s son, the guy who they grew up with, but He is going to tear up what they thought they knew.
This is a breakthrough moment.
Maybe you have heard about Jesus but have never met Him. Or perhaps you have grown up with Him so that He seems so familiar. Either way, do you think that you know who Jesus is? Jesus says to you that today is a breakthrough moment in your life too.
The Christ of Christmas, the baby in the manger, does not stay a baby. He is the one that you have been waiting for.
Jesus declares today that He is the one that binds up your broken heart, He breaks the bondage that holds you, He releases you from the darkness in your life that blinds you and holds you down. His grace and mercy have forgiven your debts and you are truly free. For ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free’ (Galatians 5:1). A life fully alive!
This is the truth that we should celebrate every morning and especially at this Christmas Season.
Are you needing a breakthrough? Praying; waiting; reading scripture for a clue to a change, a new beginning, an end to anxiety; freedom from whatever is binding you. The waiting may seem endless. We don’t always get the answer we want or are expecting in the timing we would like, but God always hears our prayers. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves exactly who it is we are praying to and how much He loves us.
Pray today for a fresh revelation of who Jesus actually is and declare it over your circumstances.