By Lisa S. Tarno

I love to be gobsmacked with revelation in scripture! Author and teacher, Kristi Mclelland pointed out something I have completely overlooked in the Bible. In the book of Luke, chapter 4:14-21 Jesus is reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and recited chapter 61 but left out the latter portion of verse 2. This chapter in Isaiah is prophecy of the coming Messiah and the expectation of what the coming Messiah would be and Jesus finishes on, “…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus’ arrival to our world was to bring peace, healing and restoration…not war, a political agenda or judgement. When Jesus read this prophecy in the synagogue, he said in Luke 4:21, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” He was acknowledging that the Messiah had arrived. Jesus is the Messiah.

Isaiah 61: 2 reads in totality, “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…and the day of vengeance of our God.” When Jesus arrived on the scene in act one of his arrival, He read the portion of scripture He was fulfilling then…”to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”. There is the foreshadowing of His second coming right there…there is yet to be “the day of vengeance of our God”! Hence, Jesus’ second coming, as He said in scripture after his resurrection from the cross and ascension to heaven. (Acts 1:22, Luke 9:51), was prophecy of act two written by Isaiah hundreds of years earlier and yet to be fulfilled. Wow!

I’m still absorbing the “seeing it in scripture” for the first time amazement. For someone who loves to study the Bible, this is my kind of stuff! Which then leads me to contemplate that even though the world is getting darker and more depraved, we are still living in the year of the Lord’s favor. His judgement is coming, we can be sure of that, but for now we are still in a grace bubble. The author has guided questions like, “What are some ways you are seeing the favor of the Lord in your life right now? Or your family and friends?”

I like this line of thinking. It gets our minds in the positive even the midst of not so positive things happening in the world right now. There is so much to be thankful for and we just need to be reminded to remember what God has done for us. That’s why I keep a praise box in my house and have for years. I write down on sticky notes the answered prayers and provision that God has blessed my family with. I do this because I’m prone, just like the rest of us, to forget. When I look at ALL that God has blessed us with, answered and unanswered prayers, and has shown His faithfulness to do as His word says to meet all our needs, it is then I at times have to “command my soul to be still and know that God is still a God of miracles!” (Song lyrics from Jared Anderson)

He has a good track record just in my life! He is a good God! Trust me, there has been plenty of bad that has come my way in life too. But God… But God…! He is the great restorer and redeems all things! I’ve seen it in my own life and others’. And sometimes the restoration of harm done in life will be on the other side of this life. I’ve accepted that too. I am thankful to be reminded that we are still living in the year of the Lord’s favor! It gives me hope. Hope is our calling card, or should be, as Christians. 

Then she challenged all of us to in this age and day to find more things that we are FOR then what we are AGAINST. Yes we live in a fallen world and there is pain, injustice and wrong being called right. As challenging as it may be, we need to find the good and support the good in life and I would add for all the bad that we see and live around, that is better left to praying about than spouting about. Only God can do something about it anyway. Having this mindset and way of being is living out what Philippians 4:8 says, “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.”

To wrap things up, as we live life still in the year of the Lord’s favor, do our lives show it? Would someone see the hope in our lives? Do our lives beg the question? What is the question? “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15