Things Are Changing for the Redeemed!
January 16, 2022
The Lord has been impressing on me to press into my faith and spend more time in the Bible and in prayer. I hear this message at church, in my daily devotion time, in my reading of faith-based articles, and in listening to podcasts. I believe the reason is that I am going to have to hold on to hope, no matter what happens in 2022. God is getting me ready for whatever comes my way.
The only stable source of Hope is Jesus. The only place to find it is in my relationship with God. I can’t find hope in the daily news. I don’t find much of it in my routine conversations with acquaintances and co-workers. I don’t find much of it in my own thoughts if I just let them wander. And now, I am reading through the Book of Isaiah. The early chapters are a recitation of the pending consequences for centuries of ignoring God. That doesn’t feed my hope much either.
But this week, I read Isaiah 51:11.
[The Lord God says] And the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (AMPC)
The Passion Translation (TPT) of Isaiah 51:11 says it this way:
Do it again!
Those Yahweh has set free
will return to Zion and come celebrating with songs of joy!
They will be crowned with never-ending joy!
Gladness and joy will overwhelm them;
despair and depression will disappear!
The message is that things are bad and there will be trouble, but things are going to change for the redeemed of the Lord. Joy and gladness are coming. Sorrow and sighing, despair and depression are fleeing and will disappear. That is a message of HOPE!! That was the moment I remembered that I am Redeemed! Thanks to Jesus, I am the redeemed of the Lord! So, are things going to change for me too? I think the answer is yes.
According to the Bible, joy and gladness are my inheritance. While the people of God in Isaiah’s time were waiting for this returning event sometime in the future, this inheritance of joy and gladness have already happened for me. It is already in my spiritual bank account by virtue of my making Jesus the Lord of my life. All I have to do is draw it out of that account. Psalm 107:1-2 gives me the method by which I can make this withdrawal.
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary. (AMPC)
1 Let everyone give all their praise and thanks to the Lord!
Here’s why—he’s better than anyone could ever imagine.
Yes, he’s always loving and kind, and his faithful love never ends. (TPT)
Thankfulness in the face of trouble. Praising God for His goodness whether I can see it today or not. These are my methods for appropriating the joy and gladness no matter what. My time in the Bible and spent in prayer each day sets a specific time for me to focus on remembering to take out my joy and gladness. I wrote my status on my hand. It reminds me throughout the day of who I am and what God has done for me. Things will change for the better for the redeemed; just press in and hold onto hope!!