Lent 2023 Day 36 “Upgrade”

Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20146;%20Isaiah%2060:17-22;%20Matthew%209:27-34

Isaiah 60:15-22

¹⁵ “Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. ¹⁶ You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. ¹⁷ Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood, I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler. ¹⁸ No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. ¹⁹ The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. ²⁰ Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. ²¹ Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. ²² The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Upgrade

Your phone is slowing down and the battery is dying faster. Your car has a new muffler you call, a louder radio volume. Your shoes have holes where once there were soles. You are going through the motions Sunday after Sunday, day after day but no new revelation for elevation has come your way in longer than you can remember. In each of these scenarios, I contend you may be in need of an upgrade. The time has come to address the situation and let go of that favorite shirt that started black and has faded to grey. The old ways which served you well, have now stopped yielding any increase. It feels like you are running in mud on a merry go round. You feel let down, forgotten, and blah.

Isaiah 60 addresses this feeling. The Israelites have been through exile and have returned to a mess. They look at their situation and get depressed all over again. Everywhere they look they see remnants of what was and is no more. The prophet communicates from GOD a message of hope. This hope and vision is of an upgrade. GOD says in verse 17: “Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood, I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler.” When I read this I am challenged not to downsize my dreams to the depths of my dilemmas. I am challenged to believe that my opportunities can overwhelm my obstacles. Hope is a contagious thing. When we have hope it filters through our whole being. We see launch pads where once there were landing strips. We see gold where once we saw bronze. We see bronze where once we saw wood. This message is for every person who is feeling down, falling down,  or fearing disaster. Lift up your head, steady your spine and believe that the creator of the universe has no limits or boundaries. Just because you have fasted and prayed and you see no results, remember that words are like seeds, They grow down before they grow up. The deeper the root the better the fruit.

Lent is a season of an upgrade. As we are intentional about our spiritual journey we are able to see areas of our life that are in disrepair. We acknowledge our fragile moments have fractured our faith and we are accountable. This Lent, GOD is saying to each of us through Jesus, I am the light of the world. You may have been in darkness, unable to see, but if you follow you will never be in darkness again. Follow me and I will give you hope. Follow me and you can have inner peace. Follow me and you will be inundated with light.

Points to Ponder: You are the light of the world, how are you shining? In what areas of your life are you in need of an upgrade? What does it mean to be a child of GOD and what are your responsibilities?