arise, jerusalem.

take your place.


Isaiah 60:1 has always been a scripture that stood out to me as incredibly moving, but also full of potential power, as it certainly prophetic, not necessarily calling it as it is...

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you."


now, as Jerusalem is symbolic for the church, or rather the people of god, i find this scripture quite interesting. Isaiah begins its first few chapters giving a synopsis of the city of Jerusalem. “The children I raised and cared for
have rebelled against me. Even an ox knows its owner,
and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—
but Israel doesn’t know its master.
My people don’t recognize my care for them.”

definitely interesting.. . . 11 “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”
says the Lord.
“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood
of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to worship me,
who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?

as we see, they certainly go through the motions, but god, as he says in 1 Samuel chapter six, that while men look at the outer appearance, god looks at the heart. the people of Jerusalem missed it. they continued to sacrifice their cattle, but god didn't want it. he was disgusted by it. the people of god had forgotten why they did what they did, and what their responsibility was. these people represent Jerusalem. personally, i don't think ancient Jerusalem is a lot different than we are in many ways, and i think the church, while I'm not pointing fingers at my church, yours, his or hers, i mean the church in general, has forgotten that following god means giving up everything you are for his call. Jerusalem forgot. the bible says Jerusalem was sinful. they were evil, and focused on their outward appearance rather than the matters of their heart.

"Once like pure silver,
you have become like worthless slag."

brutal. yes. brutal. worthless slag. i don't think god uses terms like that flippantly.... its very evident that Jerusalem was sinful, hardly different from that of Gomorrah. BUT! God said "Arise." take your place Jerusalem. . . verse two says, "Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,
but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you."
amazing. Jerusalem was once compared to Gomorrah, but is now smothered in the glory of the lord. "All nations will come to your light;
mighty kings will come to see your radiance." if we look at this symbolically, Jerusalem -> the people of god -> the church, once forgot the importance of what it means to follow god without the front, the actions, and outward appearance. . . they are now covered in the glory of the lord. all nations will come to the light of Jerusalem. the world is covered in darkness... as i see it, the world is so evil and corrupted and looking for something real. and the church ditched the front and found something real. it says, "mighty kings will come to your radiance. . ." that says to me, people of all sorts, regardless of their title, are so desperate, and see the church as the answer, because it is covered in the glory of god. in all the darkness, its the one thing that shines.

this isnt our reality, yet. its prophetic. arise, people of god. arise, jerusalem. were called to great things. ive been praying my heart out, saying god, what on earth am i here for? whats the calling you have on my life? and i read my bible that said seek justice. feed the poor. go into all corners of the earth. . .

"Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows"

if that isnt a calling, i dont know what is. does it get more clear?