25 Days of Advent: Forged for our Hope – Day 5

Idling in line for the gas pump, I noticed a phrase scrolled across a sticker plastered upon the bumper of the vehicle a few feet ahead. The childlike script read, ‘I owe, I owe, so off to work I go’.

It was a humorous play on words from a well-known children’s fairytale story. But the words did not come off as the playful humour it intended to be, but rather a sad reality.

In the book of Isaiah we find the mighty prophet foretelling the coming Messiah. Isaiah speaks beautiful words laced with hope of a Messiah that will be filled with the Spirit of the Lord to bring redemption and deliverance to the people:

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 brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn

Isaiah paints the picture of a coming King anointed by the one true God who’s purpose is to bring freedom to every soul that experiences the complexities of human emotion. This would be every soul that has ever, and will ever live. Freedom from every hurt, every pain, every chain of bondage, and every false god.

False gods have the ability to manifest themselves in many forms. If we do not allow the Holy Spirit to identify the things in life that have a sneaky way of placing themselves in the forefront of our soul where only Jesus should claim precious real estate, we may finding ourselves lavishing attention towards a false god unaware of its grip and stronghold.

Like the god of our works. That we must work tirelessly, treading water for His favour towards the unearned grace we have received for our spiritual debts. Perhaps we do this for we feel it is what we owe. We do not serve the one true God out of adoration, but obligation.

But the promise was not made so that we could spend our lives treading water. Christ desires that we be debt free. The promise was made and fulfilled so that we may have freedom from the very slavery that binds us:

Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

We are forged for our hope when we allow the presence of Christ and work of the Holy Spirit to bind our wounds. When we seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, asking Him to unveil our blind eyes, identifying each and every false god that stands in the way of us experiencing the full presence of Christ, He gently stitches the gaping wound from where that god was ripped out of our soul.

Though the forging may be uncomfortable, the freedom we are gifted from this oppression opens wide the door to our hope that His greater plans will prevail.

Father, unveil my eyes removing the veil that blinds me. Your greatest gift is the freedom I have in Christ. May I experience the fullness of his presence as my soul is forged and my hope held tight. In Jesus name, amen.

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