Oaks of Righteousness

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant those who mourn in Zion to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations of many generations.” Isaiah 61:1-4

These past few weeks have been somewhat of a struggle, but also very good. I know my purpose, but for some reason it's become a little stale. I felt as if I was getting up every morning with this idea of what needed to be completed, but no motivation or inspiration behind it. It’s in this place I sat Sunday night. Surrounded by hundreds of people that I did not know I asked, “God why am I here?”

In reality, I knew very well why I was, but I had lost that sense of purpose. It was then that I walked out of the church and just knew I needed to find a quiet place and dig into God’s word. I asked God, “Please show me and tell me what you want at this moment.” It was then that I opened up to Isaiah 61.

Everything became so clear and I began to cry as I realized how ignorant I was being. Since when did this have anything to do with MY purpose….In reality it has everything to do with HIS purpose. I am very plainly a vessel God uses to further his kingdom and to show the world HIS PURPOSE.

Reading Isaiah 61, it spoke directly into these Oaks of Righteousness. These are individuals who allow their pasts to be blessings onto others lives. These are individuals who come from the darkest of places, but shine brighter than anyone else. These are individuals I have the privilege to work with and learn from on a daily basis.

As many know, the Message works with the least, the last and the lost. Some of them being prisoners. I have had the privilege to witness some of these guys being transformed by the grace of God, and then use that grace to share it with every and anyone around them. They bring a new definition to the word disciple.

In the cafeteria of Drakenstein where the Message works, we were able to paint a huge oak tree on the wall. This tree represents the men being Oaks of Righteousness. I love that when doubting and struggling with the purpose of me being in South Africa, God points me right back to what we are all called to be, and what The Message to a large portion is based around. Being Oaks of Righteousness.

As scripture states, these individuals will raise up ancient ruins, and raise up the devastations of former generations.

I love working with men that come from a devastated generation, but don’t see it as that. Instead they go back to the dark places they come from and raise up those individuals. They share the hope and grace of Jesus Christ and they see it not as a job, but a privilege to do such.

These men put themselves back in the places that mostly represents shameful memories of their past because the Lord’s calling for them is so much greater than their guilt and regrets.

I know for myself, that when I am ashamed of something from my past, the last thing I want to do is go back to that place, let alone even think about it.

I have a new outlook lately, and that is being an Oak of Righteousness myself. I need to stop with feeling shameful or guilty of my past sins, but instead use them as tools to build the Lord’s kingdom and share God’s grace with those around me who may very likely be struggling with similar things.

We are supposed to find joy in our trials for this very reason. God has presented us with a situation where we can grow and become stronger. When becoming stronger the Lord gets glory because his power and strength shines through us.

Sorry if I am rambling, but this is the first time I have put all this down. Many times when writing these blogs, I think they need to be perfect with the right message, grammar and punctuation. But I am coming to this point of just being honest and letting those who support and pray for me, see my thoughts and emotions as they come.

I would just like to end by saying that I truly appreciate each and every one of you guys. Thank you so much for reading and going on this journey with me. I never saw myself as someone who was cut out for this, but God is changing my mindset. He is continually showing me His purpose for my life, and what it means to be His Oak of Righteousness.