The Year of Jubilee

"Lift your voice, it's the Year of Jubilee..."

That verse from the song "Days of Elijah" has stuck in my head lately.  In an effort to better understand what I was singing to the Lord when I sang this song, I Googled the "year of Jubilee."  What I found really blessed me and gave much more meaning to this verse.  In biblical times, the Year of Jubilee meant several things to the Israelites.  As I thought about this, I realized the Year of Jubilee means something to us now in recovery.

#1:  All the land had to be returned to its original owners... even if it had been purchased rightfully by another.
This really spoke to me about how God restores to us what we have lost.  As we grow closer to Christ in recovery, God starts to restore that which we have lost due to our sin and the sin of others.  In my own experience, most of what I lost wasn't really taken from me, I gave it up as I pursued my addictions.  Others have had precious things stolen from them by way of abuse, neglect, and so on.  God can and does restore those things!!  When I sing about the Year of Jubilee, I am celebrating that God is restoring things I have lost.

#2:  The Israelites had to let the land rest for one year, called a Sabbath rest in the Bible.
As we grow closer to Christ, we begin to experience His peace and rest.  No longer are we overwhelmed and crushed by guilt, shame, and fear.  He wants to lift that burden from us and give us rest.

#3:  Israelite slaves were set free during the Year of Jubliee.
God tells us in the Bible that we no longer have to be slaves to sin.  The addictions, compulsions, and destructive behaviors that once enslaved us no longer have that power over us when we let Christ be in control.    What an awesome reason to celebrate and praise God!

Today I am grateful for a simple song reminding me what recovery is all about.  Freedom, restoration, and peace.  All wonderful gifts of God that I have experienced through Celebrate Recovery!  God wants that for you, too.  Celebrate Recovery and the 8 Principles are great tools to grow closer to God and experience the freedom, restoration, and peace that Christ offers.

Check out the video of the song from this post!

 http://youtu.be/Tg1erjHNfCE