Instead

The summer of 2020, strange and different, affected everything because of Covid-19. Yet our small group still met. Small groups at church did not look the same. No hugs or handshakes, everyone kept six feet apart, and half the people were not there. But a few of us gathered outside that Sunday night. It felt like we were searching together for the treasure tucked inside Isaiah 61. We show up to things week after week, but every now and then a moment stands out. This night was one of those moments.

Several shared testimonies about how God exchanges our past and gives us a new future. One of the guys in our group shared about the shame he had carried and how desperate things had been in his life. He said that, at one point, he thought about cutting his own arm off to keep himself from drinking. To look at him now, you would never know. Ask anyone who has really been changed by Christ, and they will tell you, “Instead of life falling apart, God put my life back together. God has given me a future and a hope. Instead of guilt and condemnation, God has given me His grace and salvation. Instead of feeling unloved, I now know that God pursues me with His relentless love.”

“Instead of ashes, a crown of beauty.Instead of mourning, the oil of gladness.Instead of a spirit of despair, a garment of praise.Instead of shame, a double portion.Instead of disgrace, joy in their inheritance.”Isaiah 61:3–4

What is God up to in your life? Could this be the “year of the Lord’s favor” even in your pain and hurt? You might think, This does not look like favor. But even the things we do not want or did not ask for can be God’s very kindness to us. He does not waste anything.

When I got home from small group that night, I picked up the book I had ordered from my good friend Courtney’s recommendation on social media. I was shocked to open it and read the words under the chapter title, “Your Story, Her Story.” The words from Isaiah 61 were all over chapter one.

“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” Isaiah 61:7

Isaiah 61 was the theme of this book by Audrey Frank, who writes about honor and shame in the Muslim world and connects it to American culture. On page one she writes, “This book seeks to give a voice to the voiceless. In its pages you will observe firsthand the magnificent work of the God of Instead. He gives beauty instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning, and praise instead of despair. The Savior is moving in the world today, preaching good news to the poor, binding up the brokenhearted, and proclaiming freedom for the captives. He releases those imprisoned by shame, bestowing on them the favor of the Lord (Isaiah 61). This is the hope that beckons all who come to Jesus.”

The redemption stories that fill chapter one and the entire book are amazing. They reveal how Jesus is on a rescue mission here, there, and all the way around the world.

As I was still in awe of God that week, my friend Lisa led her Tuesday 6 a.m. prayer call. Sure enough, she used Isaiah 61. I love when something keeps appearing in your life over and over and you just know it is God. Later, I texted my friend Courtney to say how thankful I was for her sharing this book, Covered Glory, because it was so good. She informed me that the author could come to our book club. Courtney actually knew Audrey Frank. That was the story behind the book and how amazing our God is.

John Piper says, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” That is true.

A long time ago I heard a phrase that makes you think about perspective and how you see things. The phrase is:

GODISNOWHERE

"Instead"

Do you read it as “God is nowhere”? Or do you see “God is now here”?

Be watchful today of the themes stirring in your heart, the words you keep hearing, and the things that repeat themselves. Be alert and look for God. He is here.