trbccoffeebreak

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Isaiah 61:10

Confession time: I’ve been kind of a mess lately. Looking at both macro and micro issues, so to speak, I feel pressed in on every side. Big-picture, way-beyond-my-control stuff—like the Orwellian dystopia that is our culture—can overtake my mind and heart like a dense black fog. And, closer to home, those I love are besieged in mighty struggles that daily break my heart.

I get it—really, I do. All these things are raging spiritual battles—the enemy’s fight is fierce for the world and its inhabitants. Despite my knowledge of this fact, as well as having confidence in this war’s ultimate outcome, my spirit is heavy.

So, when I opened the Word this morning to read Isaiah 61, the Lord spoke clearly to me of His unequivocal understanding. He gets me…and my experiences and internal struggles are not new. If you’re familiar with the launch of Jesus’ public ministry, you’ll know that He turned to this Scripture, reading aloud in the Synagogue to proclaim, “This is Me! I’ve come to heal and save you!” This is amazing, but the part of this chapter that pierced my soul today is in verse 3: Jesus also came to give those who mourn “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

As this so accurately describes my current status, its remedy also jumped off the page: the garment of praise. This verse doesn’t necessarily mean we need to cast off the spirit of heaviness any more than we can cast off being cold. Instead, through Jesus, we are able to don a garment of praise—and by putting on praise, we don’t add another layer of heaviness…we lighten our spiritual load!

And as the chapter continues, verse 10 delivers more wardrobe advice: “My soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

Because of Jesus, my clothes are no longer the rags of sin, death, and unrighteousness! Despite my fallen nature, God looks upon me in garments of perfected beauty. And (popping back up to verse 3), for this I can—I must—praise Him, adding another element to the outfit. (Think of it as a great accessory.)

When we look in the mirror, sisters, is this the ensemble we see? Or do we wake up daily and pull on a t-shirt of fear, leggings of despair, and a sweater of uncertainty—despite the clothes given to us by our sweet Lord?

You know that awesome feeling when you find that rare (and often elusive) outfit that fits perfectly and brings a sense of joy and confidence—maybe for a job interview or special occasion? Think about that and multiply that awesomeness by about a billion. Sisters, whatever is going on in our world, our home, or our minds, we have what we need for joy and confidence. We have salvation that cannot be taken away. We have righteousness, despite our sin. We have reason to praise in all circumstances.

God has given us a whole new wardrobe. So, go ahead, flaunt it.

“Lord, remind me daily that You have given me the spiritual garments I need to take on each day with hope and joy—thank You!”

For His Glory

Julianne Winker Smith
TRBC Women’s Ministry