Arise

Since high school, when I was searching for hope, light, and love, Isaiah 60:1 has been my rock. I've written about it a couple times...

Isaiah 60:1 "Arise shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. "

The whole chapter is wonderful and brings me to tears nearly every time I read it.

Verses 2 &3 say "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."

This is not merely an encouraging verse to give us warm fuzzy feelings. This is a charge. But it doesn't even stop at that. It is a charge with a promise. A promise that the light of the glory of the Lord will be on us. This means that anything and everything is possible, and it's possible to be accomplished through us. It's not by our strength or anything that we do by ourselves, but by His glory that will be seen upon us.

In Luke 10:2, it says that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Isaiah 60 doesn't say work really hard to chase and force religion on the nations. It simply says, "Arise, shine...and nations shall come to your light."

If nations aren't coming to my light, am I really shining?
How do we make sure that our light is shining?
Do people notice our light?
Or are we stepping in line with the parade as an unseen face in the crowd?

Simply, Arise.
Arise in confidence.
Arise in power.
Arise in a ridiculous mind-blowing love that defies all logic.
And the nations will come.