“…the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” Isaiah 61: 3b
Do you ever feel like there is a spirit of heaviness on you? Sometimes it feels as though it’s on your physical body: like your legs and arms feel like cement, and you feel tired and weary. Other times you sense it in your spirit or emotions: you feel discouraged, down, depressed, unmotivated and struggle to do things you normally do. Something in you feels off, heavy, weary, faint and weak.
I have been carrying a spirit of heaviness, and I wonder if you have too. An old, old song came to my mind as I practiced solitude and reflected on what I have been carrying for the past few days.
“Put on a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness
Lift up your voice to God
Sing in the spirit and with understanding
Oh Magnify the Lord”
This song comes from Isaiah 61, one of my favourite scriptures; a prophecy of the coming Saviour, JESUS, will save us from the burdens of our sin and the world’s brokenness. Verse 3 says: He will give you a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness. There is always an exchange with Jesus, an exchange of something broken, weary or weak for something good.
A spirit of heaviness feels like a garment; it feels like a weighted blanket pressing in, holding you back from being able to do the things you want to do. It feels like you are going through the motions of life with so much more effort and energy than what it should take. JESUS promises an exchange – removal of the heavy grave clothes, a trade of this spirit of heaviness for a new cloak – a garment of praise that is light and easy.
A spirit of heaviness can come on us for many reasons, we could be carrying a burden that is not ours to bear, we could be struggling through an emotional or physical illness that is painful or wearisome, we could be pushing through some spiritual darkness that is trying to invade, or we could be carrying a weight of sin that is literally enslaving us like we are dragging around a ball and chain.
This verse does not address the source of our heaviness, and often when Jesus ministered to people, it didn’t matter what the source was; the result was always the same: an exchange of this spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise resulting in FREEDOM. Each person that Jesus touched came to him, cried out to him, praised him in faith, believing, and they received an exchange.
Isaiah 61 says that the Spirit of the sovereign Lord, who is Jesus, will give us a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness. So today, if you are carrying a spirit of heaviness, no matter what the cause: Lay it down. Even if you don’t know where it is coming from: Lay it down today and exchange it for a new lighter garment of praise.
The weather in the Summer in Ottawa is quite hot. The hotter and more humid it gets, the heavier the air feels. You cannot wear heavy clothing like a winter jacket and tons of layers. You must remove all the heavy layers and put on a very light garment so you can stand in the thick, heavy heat of the day.
Today, your circumstances might not go away, but you can still praise. Praise is like putting on a light, flowing garment that enables you to stand no matter what heat you are under. Take off the heavy garments and put on praise today. Praise before your breakthrough because that kind of faith makes room for a miracle.
What if you came to Jesus today in faith and exchanged your spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise? Often we try and put on the garment of praise right over the top of the spirit of heaviness, and we wonder why it doesn’t work. We want to hold onto the burdens because it gives us a sense of control or identity. The garment of praise, thanksgiving, gratitude and glory is the exchange for the spirit of heaviness and its light and an easy yoke.
Lord, we pray for an exchange of your garment of praise that is light and easy for our spirit of heaviness. Thank you for loving us so much; we receive this GOOD NEWS today, the GOOD NEWS that Jesus is LORD, and You have come to set us free from a spirit of heaviness today!
Liz Bell
I love this…the exchanging…the removing of the heavy winter clothing for His garments. I speak Isaiah 61:1-3 every day, and it is an exchange. The removal of the heaviness weighs us down and sometimes can cause difficulty in breathing. As I read verse 3, I always think how His headdress is not weighty but is more valuable than one made of gold or silver with many jewels.; His oil of gladness isn’t thick and sticky, but pure, cool, and cleanses us, removing all sadness and sorrow, and as He offers His garment of praise, He exchanges it for our heavy cloaks of struggles, worries and hardships. I love the exchange, the removal of our “stuff” for His love and His yoke. Thank you, Pastor Lori.
Lindsay Bechamp
I love this, Pastor Lori! We read Isaiah 61 most mornings together as a family. Those verses are so powerful! I want to remove the heaviness and those things that weigh me down for a garment of praise that makes way for a miracle! Jesus, we give you praise – in every season and circumstance – You have come to set the captives free!