The Lord says, "This is the time I am anointing you to shine for Me! Arise and shine, for your light has come! And My glory is falling upon you! Receive My light and My glory by faith! Those who despised you in the past will come running to you! Those who shunned you in the past will begin to remember you and honor you! This is not the time to give up hope, no matter what the devil throw at you! This is the time to arise and shine, for your light has come!"
Isaiah 60:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you'.
Many of you would have learned from life experience that just before the light comes, it always seem like that's the most hopeless and darkest time. That's when the devil would also try to take advantage to discourage you and 'kill you off'! The devil always aim to steal, kill and destroy God's people!
Even in the Scripture, just before the beautiful promises of the Lord in Isaiah 60, you'd find Isaiah 59! Let's go to Isaiah 59:9-10 now. This part of the Scripture says, 'Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places'.
You see, just before the Lord declared "Arise, shine; For your light has come!" in Isaiah 60, there's a part in a chapter just before that says, "We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness!"
For the record, Jesus went through a time of darkness too, before His glorious rising!
Mark 15:27-32 (NKJV) says, 'With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors." And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!" Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him'.
Luke 22:63-65 (NKJV) says, 'Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?" And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him'.
People of God, know that your Jesus has gone through a time of darkness too, and He understands fully what you've been going through in times like these.
No matter how 'dark' things have been, keep looking to Him, and He will know how to make a way for you. Remember, He knows your future (more than anyone else on earth), and He knows the end from the beginning!
And if you've been despised by others, snubbed by others, ignored by others, shunned by others, or bypassed by others in the past, be rest assured the Lord understands and sees all these as well. Why? He has gone through all these before!
But I have a good news for you. The time is coming when the Lord is going to cause many who used to despise, snub, ignore, shun or bypass you to begin to run to you! They'll begin to honor you, remember you, and appreciate you!
Let's go back to Isaiah 60 now. I know this chapter is specifically for Israel. But as people of God, you too can receive all these promises by faith, in the name of Jesus!
Isaiah 60:4-5 (NKJV) says, 'Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you'.
Isaiah 60:14-15 (NKJV) says, 'Also the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you, and all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet; And they shall call you The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations'.
Therefore, people of God, at this juncture of your life, it is so important to hang on to God! Hang on to your hope in God! Trust that He knows what He is doing and He knows exactly what to do in your life, going forward. Trust Him! Let Him lead. Don't fight with Him. Yield to Him. And you too will begin to see all the promises in Isaiah 60 coming to pass in your life! Hallelujah!
