The Lord's favor
Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. Isaiah 60:1-3 NLT
From the text, Isaiah was expressing the excitement about the dawn of the coming glory of God. This should awake us and the sight of this event should cheer us up. God has not abandoned His people for He will return to manifest His glory through them. This is also what Paul was describing when God awaken our souls so we can come to know Him as our Lord and Savior. “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7). The glory of the Lord will be displayed in the life of the believers. This will be a sight to behold because it will overcome the darkness that “covers all the nations of the earth” (Isaiah 60:2b). The darkness is a metaphor for sin, suffering, disease, war, and rebellion. The Lord’s glory will rise from the fallen Zion and will manifest the hope of glory bestowed by God. “You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering” (Hebrews 12:22). Through our surrender to Christ and acceptance of the life that He offers that we will join those that will re-create the world. Right now, the world is groaning for that day when everything will be transformed. “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us” (Romans 8:23). While we are waiting for the fruition of the Lord’s favor, let us remain steadfast and faithful, allowing God’s light to shine through our lives. There will come a day when God will display those who received the Lord’s favor. “All creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are” (Romans 8:19).
Blessings,
