ISAIAH 61:4
4. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
Who are they? Verse 3 says them who mourn in Zion receive blessings and then are called to raise up the ruins. I have often thought that if I was a good girl and kept my room clean, the Lord would bless me by giving me 3 more rooms to clean. Somehow to me that does not really sound like a blessing. But that is in my earthly thinking.
He is talking about the spiritual condition of His Church. When we are called to rebuild, it is a spiritual rebuilding that is done in the Spirit. The Lord allows trials in our life that we can look back on when we see the same things happening in others.
We know the answer because we have been through it before. We can pray easier for others than ourselves because there is no fear or pain involved. Then we can affect others with victory, and it is a wonderful thing. It is nothing like cleaning 3 bathrooms or waste places.
Some Churches have been stuck in a bad state for many generations. The Lord decides to send one of His servants into that place with the answer for many. What a blessing for that person. The Lord’s blessings are so much deeper than sliver or gold.
To be able to affect someone who has been hurting for a long time is really an honor. He sends those who mourn in Zion. But first He comforts Zion. Then He gives them beauty for ashes. He sends joy instead of sadness. He gives them a garment of praise. Just what is a garment of praise?
Some people are praisers and some are sitters. The praisers cannot sit down when the worship songs begin. It is an attitude of respect. They must stand. They must clap. At times they must dance. They must sing and they must worship and cry tears of love and joy.
I know because I know one very well. My Spiritual daughter Cheryl. She may not even know but she has a garment of praise and is such a blessing to me. When she was a teenager, she would ride in the car with my husband Gary and I. We played Praise and Worship music in the car, and she knew all the words and just loved to sing and still does.
She always stands and loves to clap, play her tambourine and dance before the Lord. She does not care what others think. She sings better and louder than all! And I love her so!
Instead of being critical, we should recognize this garment of praise and be thankful they are in our midst. The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. It is a sad state in some Churches when they cancel the worship service for whatever reason. That is disrespectful to the Lord who is worthy of all our praise. They are stopping the Holy Spirit and that is not a smart thing to do.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the Holy Spirit.
Malachi 3:9 You are cursed with a curse; for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation.
When we withhold our offering in any form as an offering of praise, it is a curse and hurts the whole nation.
You say that I’m a blessing to you, but you have no idea how much you bless me. I just don’t understand how people can sit down when the worship songs are on, I bet if it was a worldly song, they would be dancing and moving around. How can they not stand in the presence of the One who gave them life and died for them. I can’t imagine how it hurts Him, because it hurts my heart.
We all need His gift of the garment of praise. That is Him hurting inside of you. We have so much to be thankful for! 🎶🤗🙏