When Ruins Sing A New Song: Katie Wilson
When Ruins Sing A New Song:
Katie Wilson
When Ruins Sing
“Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song. For The Lord has comforted HIS people. HE has redeemed Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 51:9)
“For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.” (Isaiah 56:8)
“God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so MY PEOPLE can return from captivity.” (Isaiah 57:14).
As New Covenant believers , we see these verses and we know that we are the “MY PEOPLE”! “Ruined Jerusalem” is redeemed and “others, too, besides my people Israel” are brought back along a “REBUILT ROAD”, where the rocks and stones are cleared away so “MY PEOPLE CAN RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY!” The old is gone; the NEW HAS COME, and if that does not give us something to sing about, then nothing will!
WHEN RUINS SING they celebrate the NEW STORY they are writing with God. Remembering the past no longer brings shame. Remembering the past simply MAGNIFIES THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES-JESUS! I invite you into just one area of my life that is a part of HIS “GLORIOUS UNFOLDING”! (Great song by Steven Curtis Chapman if you haven’t heard it:)
REDEFINING HUNGOVER
ACTS 5:30-The God of our father’s raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging on a tree. (ESV)
JOHN 19:30-When Jesus had received the sour wine, HE said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up HIS spirit.(ESV)
I have often asked the Lord to REDEFINE things that have a bad connotation in my life or in general, to give me a HOLY SPIRIT lens for everything! I thought I would invite you into a little conversation the Holy Spirit and I had while I was running one day. NO, it was not audible to the outside world, but it was audible to my spirit.
This particular day, as I was running, I thought about how bad it feels to run with a “hangover”. I am in my 8th “alcohol free” year and I am so grateful the Lord took that “distraction”(the nicest word I could think of to describe something that has the potential to derail a perfectly good life.) from me! I pray you do not read that and think I am one of those legalistic teetotalers. It is absolutely sin for ME TO DRINK but I do not believe it is a sin TO DRINK! For those of us the Lord has said ABSOLUTELY NO WAY, we know who we are and we know why! Just so you know, the Lord is still in the business of setting the captives free and opening the blind eyes to see. I AM LIVING PROOF!!!!
So, back to my conversation with The Holy Spirit. I asked HIM,”REDEFINE HUNGOVER PLEASE!” AND HE DID!
Acts 5:30 and John 19:30 explain. Because of what Christ did for us on the Cross (HE HUNG ON A TREE FOR YOU AND ME), HE completed the work that the FATHER called HIM to do, in order to reconcile the world to HIMSELF! Jesus said, “It is finished” and this means OVER WITH. IT IS OVER AND DONE WITH!
So you see:
BECAUSE HE HUNG, IT IS OVER = HUNG-OVER!
I love to play with words and this is just one example of the Spirit taking me through the Scriptures to make something NEW!
Next, the conversation took another turn. A “hangover” is the aftermath of being full of “spirits=liquor”. However, when we are full of THE HOLY SPIRIT , the aftermath is HOLY OVERFLOW!
Eph 5:18-20- “Don’t drink TOO MUCH wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of HIM. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises OVER everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.” (The Message)
I love The Message translation. It articulates what my soul shouts and my heart sings in the most tangible way. No longer am I filled with “spirits” leading to a hangover! Because HE HUNG, IT IS OVER! Therefore, when I asked HIM in, I was filled with HIS HOLY SPIRIT leading to HOLY OVERFLOW, which is “praises OVER everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.” (MSG)
WHEN RUINS SING the song is always one of redemption, not what we’ve done but what HE DID!
God removes, rebuilds, restores, renews, redeems, refreshes, replants, reconciles … The prefix “re” means “back to the original place, again,” also with a sense of “undoing”. HE is the God of second chances-again and again and again, undoing what we’ve done, getting us back to our intended God-given purposes! Grace REMOVES “disgrace”. He REBUILDS ancient ruins and RESTORES the places long devastated. HE will RENEW the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations!(ref. Is 61:4) The Lord REDEEMS the life of HIS servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (ref 34:22) He REFRESHES the weary and satisfies the faint.(ref Jer 31:25) The nations will know that The Lord REBUILT what was destroyed and REPLANTED what was desolate. “I the Lord have spoken and I will do it!”(Ez 36:36) God, who RECONCILED us to himself through Christ, ALSO gave us the ministry of RECONCILIATION.(ref 2 Cor 5:18)
What areas of your life would you like for The Lord to REDEFINE?
What needs RESTORING or REBUILDING?
Do you need to be REFRESHED and REPLANTED?
Have you simply asked HIM in to REDEEM you and RECONCILE you to HIMSELF?
*I am including the link to a Soul Food I authored a few weeks ago on our site. It is highlighted below to click on. The Lord makes us new in so many different ways and different areas of our lives. That will not stop until HE calls us Home or comes back again! I am eternally grateful for My Jesus, who delights in me and in making me new!
2 Comments
This post was awesome sauce!!! Loved it! Please keep sharing!
Katie you are beautiful inside and out