A letter to the wounded hearted.
You know there is comfort—only, you have yet to experience
it, for the pain lingers like a night with no dawn. Nothing has changed for so
long, and your strength is giving out in the storm.
O
afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold,
I will set your stones in antimony,
and
lay your foundations with sapphires.
- ANTIMONY-
What is your wounded heart barren of? Life beyond a graveyard
marriage? The heartbeat of a child? Community from an isolated prison of shame?
Love overcoming fear and anger? Forgiveness from stains of hurt? Hope after
years of repeated wounds?
“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break
forth into singing and cry aloud,
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than
the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of
your tent,
and
let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and
strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread
abroad to the right and to the left,
and
your offspring will possess the nations
and
will people the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for
you will not be ashamed;
be
not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and
the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 For your Maker is your
husband,
the
Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the
God of the whole earth he is called.
6 For the Lord has called you
like
a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says
your God.
7 For a brief moment I
deserted you,
but
with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In overflowing anger
for a moment
I
hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says
the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 “This is like the
days of Noah to me:
as
I swore that the waters of Noah
should
no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and
will not rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may
depart
and
the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and
my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says
the Lord, who has compassion on you.
11 “O afflicted
one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold,
I will set your stones in antimony,
and
lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your
pinnacles of agate,
your
gates of carbuncles,
and
all your wall of precious stones.
13 All your children shall
be taught by the Lord,
and
great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness you
shall be established;
you
shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
and
from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 If anyone stirs up
strife,
it
is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall
fall because of you.
16 Behold, I have
created the smith
who
blows the fire of coals
and
produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
17 no weapon
that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and
you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and
their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
Isaiah
54
These words,
written for a people long before us, remind us of the heart of our God, gently
binding our hearts with hope, that He is a God who doesn’t forget us even when
He is quiet. He is a God who sees our strife, and reminds us: it isn’t from
Him. He speaks out loud the words we are desperate to hear: we are loved. That
there is so much more meant for this life than the barrenness, shame, grief in
spirit, and disgrace life has offered up thus far. And the emptiness of this
life only points to the fullness of the next. That’s what these chapters
illuminate best: Your empty [tent] now-- will be full. Your sad heart will sing
most joyful. Your afflicted heart will swoon. But even now, while the storm
rages, may we lift our voices, even if only to a whisper, this song:
For the
mountains may depart
and
the hills be removed,
but [His] steadfast love shall not depart from [us]
Steadfast:
defined as: not subject to change.
For all the things that we pray to change, the irony is we have what we really
need, and His love never will change.
Steadfast
Loved.
Amy
Footnote: Unlike
the people this was written for, the imagery of pain is not a result of
punishment from wandering from His law and falling into Babylonian hands. Through
Christ we are free from the law. The pain you or I are experiencing is not a
result of God’s desire to punish. That is not the God of these verses. Once we’ve
come to know Him, we live in Christ’s righteousness, and He sees us as His
bride. The debt’s been paid; forgiveness complete. His love for us will never
change, no matter what we’ve done, no matter what we’ve been told, or no matter
what we tell ourselves.
God doesn’t NEED me to do anything at all. Really, He’s got
it. Rest.
We’re all happier when we enjoy the process of getting
there. And it will be messy. That’s where life happens. It’s not the glimpses
you see on camera. That’s the icing on the cake.
