Isaiah 54:4
“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame:”
Suggested Scripture reading – Isaiah 54
He had faithfully served the Lord on the mission field for many years. He had been a blessing to many people through those years and pastored several churches. God had used him in many wonderful ways and his family also remained faithful to the Lord. There was a time, however, when he did not think that the Lord would ever use him at all. After the sins of his youth he was sure that he would never be able to serve the Father in any ministry.
The people of God in Isaiah’ day had grievously failed the Lord. So grievously that God punished them with defeat in war and exile to the nation of Babylon. “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” (Psalm 137:1) The prophets of God saw the exile coming and preached repentance to no avail. The people were stubborn and God judged them. It broke the heart of the Father. Isaiah called for the peoples of the world to “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” In chapter 54 of Isaiah’s prophecy we see the heart of God for His people. Using the image of a childless couple he is saying that they would, “Enlarge the place of thy tent” (vs. 2) Speaking in a metaphor, He is saying that God will once more receive His people in repentance and be their Father. God has never forsaken His people the Jews. He tells them, “Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.” (vs. 4) The lesson we learn about God is that God is a God of forgiveness and a second chance.
The missionary, as a youth, sought the counsel of a friend. He repented of his sinful file and learned that even though he had sinned it had been forgiven when he repented. God still wanted to bless him and use him in a great way. He accepted the forgiveness and went on to influence many people for the Savior. Maybe today you have felt that you have failed the Lord so profoundly that He could never again use you. Repent of your sin and come back to Him. You will hear Him say, “In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee” (vs. 8)
Fear Not; you are not forsaken by God.
Isaiah 54:10
“For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.”
