As Sure As Spring

Isaiah 61:11

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,
and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth;
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth
before all the nations.

Even with cool nights here in Maine, the earlier sunrises and the warm days testify to Spring’s entrance. It’s happens every year, too. Spring gives me a sense of renewed hope, of new opportunity, of fresh grace.

At this point in Isaiah, the Lord is declaring how the Gentile nations will become part of the Jewish nation and all of the blessings that come with that. We see glimmers of that today with the spread of the gospel throughout the world. Individual lives are changed by grace and through faith in Jesus, and as that spreads in communities and nation there is a real difference.

Looking around today, it’s hard to feel like it’s “springtime” in human history, but trust the promises of the Word. There will come a day in the kingdom of heaven when righteousness and praise of God will be the new and everlasting global normal. What a wonderful day that will be! Until then, let’s actively thank and praise the Lord in our part of the world.

-Pastor C.