From Forsaken To Joy, The Holy Spirit Makes All Things New
Once forsaken, now a joy, grace shining on what the storm left behind.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven Upon Earth by A. B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
You and I both know what it is to look back at chapters we would rather forget. Today’s reading from A. B. Simpson looks straight at those pages and says, God delights to rewrite them with mercy. Not with whiteout, but with redemption. He takes what was broken and makes it a showcase of His kindness.
Simpson’s line of sight is hopeful and honest. He does not flatter our past, and he does not fear it. He points us to the Holy Spirit who makes new creations, not polished versions of the old. Where sin ran wild, grace runs farther. Where hardness seemed permanent, Jesus softens and reshapes.
This is not a story of religious willpower. It is the life of abiding in Christ. The Spirit does not merely restrain the old patterns, He exchanges their ruling place for the risen life of Jesus within us. He turns victims into living memorials of Divine love, not by demanding a better performance, but by indwelling us with a better Life.
So we can thank God for Isaiah’s promise, once forsaken, now a joy. We can nod to Paul’s testimony, once a blasphemer, now an example of patience. And we can walk forward together as fellow travelers, steady and cheerful, trusting that the Spirit is not finished showing what He can do with ordinary people who rest in Jesus.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you, and I make you new. I carry you out of the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Son the Father loves. I do not upgrade the old, I clothe you with the new person created after God’s likeness. I take stony places and give a tender heart. I am not asking you to repair yourself, I am forming Christ in you.
Where sin once set the tone, grace now sings louder. I write mercy over memories that accused you. I wash, I sanctify, I justify. I lift the head that stooped, and I teach your heart to say, I am crucified with Christ, and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God. I lead you to reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God, then I work in you both to will and to do what pleases the Father.
You were once not a people, now you are My own. You were once far off, now you are brought near. I take what opposed God in you, and I turn it into witness. Doubts become ground for sturdy faith. Harshness becomes a soft answer. Fear turns into quiet courage. This is not your strain, this is My power made perfect in your weakness.
I am faithful to complete what I began. I steady your steps when you stumble. I renew your mind, not with the spirit of the age, but with the mind of Christ. Set your heart where Christ is seated. Yield your members to righteousness. Walk by Me, and you will not carry out the old desires. I will restore the years that seemed lost, and I will frame your story so that heaven and earth see the riches of grace in kindness toward you in Christ Jesus.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a cast iron skillet that sat forgotten in a damp cupboard. Rust formed, rough to the touch. In the right hands it is scrubbed, seasoned with oil, warmed until the surface changes, then used to serve a bright, nourishing meal. The skillet does not repair itself. It yields to the heat and the oil, and it becomes useful again.
Today, the indwelling Spirit of Jesus is the One who seasons and restores. If a cutting remark wants to jump from your tongue, pause the scramble for self-control and turn to the Lord who lives in you. You might say, Lord, I trust You to express Your patience and truth through me in this moment, and to speak what builds up. Then answer gently, or stay quiet, as He supplies.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am not the sum of my worst days. Thank You that Your Spirit has brought me from darkness to light, from shame to joy. Thank You that the old person was crucified with Christ, and that I now walk as a new creation. I praise You that grace outruns my past, and mercy defines my future. I agree with Your work within me, and I rest in Your faithfulness to complete what You began. All glory to You for the kindness You have poured into my life in Christ. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Isaiah 60:15. Romans 5:20. 2 Corinthians 5:17. Ezekiel 36:26. Colossians 1:13. Ephesians 4:22-24. Colossians 3:1-4, 9-10. Galatians 2:20. Romans 6:6-11. Philippians 2:13. 1 Peter 2:10. Ephesians 2:1-10. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Titus 3:3-7. Joel 2:25. Romans 8:1-4, 28-30. Galatians 5:16, 24-25. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Philippians 1:6. Ephesians 1:7-8. John 1:16. Jude 24-25. Micah 7:18-19. Psalm 30:11.