Christian author Roslynn Bryant shares on God’s great exchange. Isaiah 61:3 speaks of many exchanges. One definition of the word exchange is that we get one thing in return for another. Usually when we go through an exchange, it is for equal or lesser value. But when it comes to the LORD, He always exchanges higher than what we originally had. The end result is always greater than what we had in the beginning. Society may see this kind of exchange as a loss but God sees it as a gain because it brings Him glory when He changes a broken person into someone whole, when He changes a person in bondage into someone walking in liberty.
And so, our text opens with the Messiah’s declaration of His power and purpose. It tells us that He has been empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring healing and deliverance to all who is touched by Him. The text also speaks of God’s people who have been troubled by their circumstances. They were struggling with discouragement from living in desolation. They were suffering from lack and loss. But the Lord declares that I will give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Now, He is primarily speaking about the nation of Israel. Yet, what God will do for His people Israel, He is able and willing to do for His Church.
So, the first exchange is mental. The Lord Jesus changes our thinking. He renews our minds. Instead of ashes that represent a defeated attitude and thoughts of loss, He gives us beauty that represents a healthy and flourishing outlook. He takes away the gloomy, negative thinking and replaces it with something beautiful and positive. We will find ourselves living this life in a hope that overcomes all circumstances. Yet, we are to choose to see things from God’s perspective and not our own. We exchange our outlook for His outlook. Society gives us a very dark and negative view on life but God’s Word shows us that life is so much more meaningful when we view it from God’s perspective. In the Bible, God gives us the purpose for life and instructions for living that bring joy to our heart and contentment to our souls. And even though we live in a fallen world and are at times touched by its troubles, we can overcome by keeping our focus on God’s Word and maintaining our hope in Him. Whatever we are going through, God has seen us passed this time and into eternity. So, we are to trust Him with our lives.
Next, the Lord Jesus gives us the oil of joy for mourning. Instead of leaving us in a deep, dark state of grief, He gives us His joy. Mourning is a natural reaction to loss or to losing circumstances, when we seem to be going backwards instead of forward, when things seem to be going down instead of up. The natural reaction is to mourn. But Jesus so wonderfully replaces this natural reaction with a supernatural response. The Lord gives us His joy through the Presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Great Stabilizer to our emotions so that we no longer have to be driven by our feelings but we are kept in peace by His love and power. As we surrender to the Holy Spirit through obedience and dwell in His Presence through worship, He rescues us from the extreme emotional highs and lows in life and brings peace and stability to our souls. This in turn brings joy into our lives for with peace of mind comes joy of heart.
The next exchange is that the Lord Jesus gives us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. There are times in this life’s journey when we become weary and heavy in heart. We seem to be going through life burdened with many cares. This heaviness weighs upon us so that it is difficult to break through. But praise is key in overcoming heaviness. When we praise God with words and songs of adoration and thanksgiving, Psalm 22:3 lets us know that God inhabits the praises of His people then Psalm 16:11 says that in His Presence, there is fullness of joy. In other words, when we praise God, He manifests His Presence and we experience joy. Joy is gladness of heart and soul regardless of situation or circumstance. So when we go through times of heaviness and sorrow, God says to praise Him. Not because He desires to please Himself with our praise but because He wants to exchange our heaviness for His joy. 2 Corinthians 3:17 states, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” When the Holy Spirit manifests His Presence in response to our praise, He delivers us from all the heaviness that had us bound. He brings us out of discouragement, despair, and despondency and brings us into joy, peace, and victory.
Finally, the greatest exchange is spiritual. It happened at the cross where the Lord Jesus suffered, bled, and died. There He exchanged righteousness for our sin, forgiveness for our condemnation, freedom for our bondage, wholeness for our brokenness, eternal life for our death. The Lord Jesus who is sinless bore the sins of the world in His own body so that all who believe in Him would have right standing with God. All who receive the Lord Jesus as Savior are called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light, changed from sinner to saint, from children of wrath to sons and daughters of God.
Truly, God’s ways are higher than ours. He sees loss as gain, a setback as a setup, and weakness as strength. For it is in these times of loss, setbacks, and weakness that His power is made manifest in our lives and we experience His glory.
Trina’s Travel 