Held By God’s Everlasting Kindness (Isaiah 54)

Evening Scripture

Isaiah 54
“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.

The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.

“To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli.
I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.
All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.
In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.
If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

“See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

Evening Reflection

Isaiah 54 talks about God’s kindness and compassion. It promises to a people who had walked wearily through the exile that the Lord Almighty would be with them, redeeming them, and bringing them back to their home. With deep compassion, God says, I will bring you back. And with everlasting kindness, I will have compassion on you.

Compassion is an important word – because it doesn’t mean pity or empathy or well wishes. Compassion isn’t about looking at someone’s plight from afar and wishing thoughts and prayers. Compassion demands intimacy. The word literally means to “suffer with.” Compassion demands that one journey toward the hurting, the tired, the anxious, and dwell with them. Compassion means walking with them, crying with them, and sitting with them.

And this is what God does for us. See, Isaiah 54 doesn’t erase all the struggles that the Israelites had to walk through. They still went through the time of the exile, and it was hard. “In a surge of anger, I hid my face from you,” God says. Isaiah is honest about the trial, the disgrace, and the shame that Israel felt. But then comes the word of promise – that it is directly into that situation that God’s compassion comes. God comes to receive us even if we feel abandoned; God comes to exalt us even if all we can see is our shame, and God comes to lead us home to God’s own heart, even when all we can see is how lost or far away we are.

As you rest this evening, dare to believe that you rest in the kindness and compassion of God. More deeply than you may be aware of it, the Lord surrounds you in love, and in God’s compassion, you have life and salvation.

Evening Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
I thank you for the deep compassion revealed to me in your cross. In your cross, and with cries, tears, and scars, you truly suffer with the afflicted humanity. And when there are times when I feel overwhelmed by all I face, may your compassion and kindness be for me strength and peace.
As I rest this night, may the knowledge of your mercy soothe my heart. May the truth of your love fill my soul, and may the promise of your compassionate presence keep me in eternal safety. This I pray in your holy name.
Amen.

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Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.

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