ASL Shabbat Devotion: The Year of the Lord
English version:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
Few prayers bring as much inspiration as the prayer of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3). Ponder the verse, “Ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed.” Adonai has the power to destroy old ways! Anything that has remained for a long time is obviously strong and well-founded, but it is not impenetrable to the righteousness of our Lord. Jesus proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor by reciting a messianic prophecy from Isaiah in a synagogue in Nazareth. With the resurrection of Christ, as Paul often wrote, we are empowered with God’s power to remove old ways and make way for the Kingdom of God. The prayer of Habakkuk also shouts, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Once you realize that you are really a weak person, God will graciously provide you enough strength for you to go on the heights, to be part of His blessing to the world as described in the prophecy of Isaiah. Oh, how much I love this verse! I read this verse again and again, because I am that weak.
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