Five-minute read.
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:16-19
Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1-2, identifying Himself as the subject of the passage. Christ carries the Holy Spirit with Him, anointed by the Father to bring good news to the poor. Proclaiming freedom to the captives, giving sight to the blind, and freeing the oppressed to praise God for His favor, Jesus did it all. The Lord’s grace frees us from our sins and gives us a new life with a purpose that we live for Him.
Invited to a friend’s house to meet a missionary, home from the battlefields of Africa, she exemplified living fully for Christ. The minutes slipped by unnoticed as she began her talk on prayer and spiritual warfare. In the evilest part of the country, her day-to-day life has little comparison to a day in America. Christians brutally murdered for their beliefs. Children taken captive, women raped, the atrocities faced break my heart. Scripture poured from her lips as she told her tales, murderers becoming missionaries because of their efforts.
“Satan’s biggest victory in America is convincing people he doesn’t exist.”
Her words struck a chord because I knew she spoke the truth. The darkness that blankets our nation goes unnoticed by most. Turning from God and following their fleshly desires, they don’t understand why they don’t experience the joy of the Lord. Deceived by the devil, they miss the light of Jesus.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
In Jesus, we find freedom from oppression, liberty from our bondage, and light that dispels the darkness. But until we turn to Him, we can’t find His favor or live in His peace. God doesn’t want us to live in bondage; He wants us to experience the freedom found only in Christ. As we turn our faces to Him, the Lord will heal our land, remove the strongholds, and give us victory in Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to proclaim the good news, give liberty to the captives, and recover sight to the blind. Let us live in Your favor as we commune with You, allowing Your Spirit to guide our lives.
IJNIP. Amen
