"1 The mighty Spirit of Lord Yahweh is wrapped around me because Yahweh has anointed me, as a messenger to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted,
to tell captives, “You are free,” and to tell prisoners, “Be free from your darkness.” 2 I am sent to announce a new season of Yahweh’s grace and a time of God’s recompense on his enemies,
to comfort all who are in sorrow, 3 to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes, the oil of bliss instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Because of this, they will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory. 4 They will restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was long devastated. They will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations” (Isaiah 61:1-4 TPT).
These four verses in Isaiah describe the mission and anointing of Jesus to preach the good news of the gospel that He is bringing grace to the world: grace for healing the wounds of the brokenhearted; grace that sets the captives free; grace that frees us from the kingdom of darkness. His coming is a sign that God is recompensing his enemies: sin, sickness, and darkness are going to be defeated. It is a new time of God’s grace in which God comforts, strengthens, restores, and blesses His people with salvation, healing, deliverance, beautiful bouquets, bliss, and the mantle of joyous praise.
Mighty Oaks of Righteousness
Because of the anointing on Jesus and His defeat of the enemy, God’s people will become like “Mighty Oaks of Righteousness.” They will be spiritually mature, holy, and consecrated—a people who will not only know the righteousness of God, but walk in it. And because they do, they are “living displays” of His glory. They restore ruins, rebuild what was devastated, and renew their ruined cities and “desolations of past generations.”
What a wonderful word this is for the Church in this hour! We have let things fall into ruin and desolations in our cities and nation. We lost our way for a while; we let spiritual truths slip away from us, and we see the evidence of darkness and corruption in every area of our society. But God is giving us a word of encouragement in this hour. He is in the process of delivering His people and restoring their land. And He is using His Mighty Oaks of Righteousnes to do it.
The Rebirth of Righteousness in America
The year 2020 has been nightmarish in many ways, yet it also has been a most blessed year, because it has been the year of the rebirthing of righteousness in the Church in this nation. So many of God’s people have repented for their lukewarmness and compromise and slumber, and have re-consecrated their lives to the Lord, spirit, soul, and body. They have rediscovered the fear, awe and reverence of the Lord, His holiness, His awesome power, His Sovereignty, and His unequivocal call for absolute surrender to His will and His way. They have become Mighty Oaks of righteousness planted by the Lord, and they have begun to display His glory. They are not shaken by the shaking. They are steadfast and confident as they face and confront evil. They have set their faces like a flint and will not be moved.
"He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved" (Psalm 62:6 NKJV).
“For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7 NKJV).
Displays of His Glory
The Church has been rediscovering the truth of the Gospel: Christ has robed us in His righteousness. He has given us right-standing with God! As our hearts grasp this truth, we are overwhelmed by the love and mercy of God, and from the core of our being, we love Him and desire to love Him more. The cry of our hearts is to serve Him, to exalt Him, to proclaim Him and His goodness and holiness. To proclaim that HE is GOD; that HE ALONE IS GOD, and therefore, HE must be reverenced, obeyed, exalted, and worshipped. The righteousness of Christ in us rises up to say, “No!” to evil!
We see the change in others, and we see it in ourselves. Yet, what we see now is merely the beginning. Momentum is building. Shaking and stirring are intensifying. God’s people are becoming violent in the sense of contending for the faith, standing up for righteousness and justice, and boldly speaking the Word of God. Once-timid Christians are coming out of the closet with ferocity! They have become mighty oaks of righteousness, and their ferocity is not aimed at people, but the one behind the evil and wickedness that people do: the accuser of the brethren, the one Jesus called a liar, murderer, thief, and destroyer (see John 10:10).
The Mighty Oaks are on the Move!
I just saw these mighty oaks of righteousness marching! It reminded me of a scene in in the Lord of the Rings of the trees walking into battle. I didn’t really remember much about those trees, and I felt I needed to do a little research; so I called my son David, one of my go-to-experts for such things, and here is what I found out. The walking trees were called, “Ents,” and they were guardians or “shepherds” of the forest. The forest was in danger from Saruman, a wizard who was originally sent to protect Middle Earth from Sauron, a dark lord, who wanted to conquer and rule Middle Earth. Saruman himself became corrupted and evil and decided that he alone would rule Middle Earth (power corrupts). In the process of trying to conquer, Saruman destroyed many trees, and the Ents, guardians of the forest, attacked Saruman and his army and defeated them.
I found it interesting that the Ents were protectors; shepherds and defenders over what they were called to protect. God’s mighty oaks of righteousness are also protectors, guardians, and shepherds over God's will where He has planted them for such a time as this. And now God has His mighty oaks on the move! Just when satan thought victory was in his grasp and he had absolute control over the United States, God activated His mighty oaks of righteousness, His hidden army! They are pushing satan back, and retaking ground that had been surrendered to him. They have begun the process of restoring ruins from long ago and rebuilding what was long devastated. They will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations” (see Isaiah 61:4).
Mighty oaks of righteousness, in the name of Jesus, we ARE taking back America for the glory of God! The battle has begun, and it will continue for some time, but the gates of hell will not prevail against God's mighty oaks of righteousness!
Love, Hugs, and Blessings,
Syandra