Isaiah was a Spirit-filled prophet of the Most High. When he wrote the
above passage, it was somewhere between 740- 681 BC, and it was all
fulfilled approximately 700 years later when Jesus came to our
neighborhood (See Luke 4: 18-10).
The most exciting thing,
however, is that this promise from the Holy Spirit is still valid to
anyone who thirsts for our loving Heavenly Father, even today.
I
recently had the privilege of hearing a young man's testimony just
before his baptism. He reported that he had been born with fetal alcohol
syndrome (FAS), and his early months were spent with his alcoholic
parents. He was under a year of age when, for no known reason, his dad
broke his feet. The police took him away from his biological parents
after this, and he was put into foster care. Unfortunately, no one
seemed to know how to manage a baby with FAS, and before he was finally
adopted, the child went through nine different foster homes.
Everyone thought it was great when his last set of foster parents
actually adopted him. Unfortunately for him, his adoptive father began
abusing him, as well as his sister, almost immediately. It was years
before this abuse was uncovered, but when his adoptive mother found out,
she left her husband.
As this child grew into a young man, he
found himself surrounded by people; yet he never found friendship. He
felt completely alone.
One day he was flipping through TV
channels when something a preacher was saying caught his attention: "Do
you feel lonely, without any hope? Come to God. He will give you hope."
Intrigued, he started to talk with our Heavenly Father and he
immediately felt God's love. He became hooked on God and spent time with
Him every day. Gradually his loneliness and despair was replaced with
joy. He met a lovely girl and they were soon engaged. His life was
turning around. He now had but one wish: To have a Christian male
friend.
A series of miracles put this young man in the same place
at the same time as one of the members of our church. The young man's
wish was fulfilled: He found a Christian male friend, and through this,
he also found a church home.
This man testified that he no longer
ever feels alone, for God's Holy Spirit dwells in him. He completed his
testimony by encouraging the assembly: "If you feel alone in the
darkness, just know that you are never alone. God is there for you."
In summary, this young man described his past as lost and sad, but
his present he describes as happy, excited and joyful. He was ecstatic
when he found out he could be baptized.
The words of Isaiah
61:1-2 are active and fulfilling. May we too, broadcast this terrific
news. After all, we are here to testify of our loving Father.
Are
you alone in darkness? Your Heavenly Father is here for you. He will
never abandon you. He wants you to be His friend, and with the God of
the universe, the God of love at your side, a bright future awaits you.
Rob Chaffart