I don't know if many of you follow my and Dave's blog, but we were recently told (after trying unsuccessfully to conceive and after some tests) that it will be unlikely that we will be able to have a child without fertility treatments. We have been quite shaken up about this and have been praying for a miracle as we're quite nervous about the "rabbit hole" of fertility treatments. (If you'd like more specific information we're open to sharing and/or we can send you an invitation to our blog.)
Anyway, the invitation here was to share what God is doing in/sharing with us. So needless to say, I have been quite discouraged (and lots of other emotions) lately. But, on Thursday, I was doing my regular Bible Study and had to look up Isaiah 54:11. It was a good verse, but I decided I wanted to get the context, so I decided to read all of Isaiah 54. And this is what I found:
Isaiah 54
1 “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.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.
4 “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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
8 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.
9 “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.
10 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.
11 “Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with lapis lazuli.
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be their peace.
14 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.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender to you.
16 “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;
17 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.
2 comments:
I know God uses scripture to speak to us personally about our specific situations even though the human author had no idea how many different ways God would use it - because it is inspired, living and active. I feel safe in saying we have all had instances of Him doing this for us. In fact it's even been laughable at times for me, it was so out of context but that made me even more sure it was from Him and not my own idea! I'm so glad you have received His comfort, love and promises. He never changes. His character and love is always the same from back when it was written to now. I believe God used Israel and the stories in the OT is to teach us what was to come - point to spiritual truths of the new covenant. His love and care of His people is documented so that we will learn what He is like. So it does relate to us and was always meant to. (The problem comes when people try to find some verse to legitimize what they've already decided they want to do and pull it out of context!)
I second what Julie said, and I would add--Claim that scripture!! It's a promise that God is making generally, not just in a specific case, showing his desires for his people. Israel is the drama which reveals who he is and what his desires are for us. I will be praying for you and David.
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