DAY 3 REFLECTION

Isaiah 54

The Future Glory of Zion

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.

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.

Reflect.

This passage describes the grief of one who has been abandoned or cast aside. Do you know people whose mates have left them? those whose mates have died? What does Isaiah say that might help people who feel alone? 

Response

When have you felt abandoned by God or thought that God was far away from you? What helped you or helps you during such times?

Response

Imagine that you are writing a letter to Tamar in her widowhood. What verses from this chapter would you avoid quoting to her? What verses would you quote to give her comfort? 

Response

What words in this passage from Isaiah give you hope for the future? 

Response

Rest.

Sit quietly in God’s presence and think about any friends or acquaintances who may be feeling lonely as Christmas approaches. What do you ask God on their behalf? 

Pray a breath prayer.

For the next twenty—four hours, at times when your body is busy but your mind is free to turn to God, pray inwardly with the rhythm of your breathing, “God of compassion, love the world through me.”

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