In The Word
Read: Isaiah 54
The Fertility of Zion
54 “Shout for joy, infertile one, you who have not given birth to any child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor;
For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent;
Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;
Lengthen your ropes
And strengthen your pegs.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left.
And your descendants will possess nations
And will resettle the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the shame of your youth,
And no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5 For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of armies;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth.
6 For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.
7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you,
But with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In an outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting favor I will have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your Redeemer.
9 “For this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would not flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My favor will not be removed from you,
Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,”
Says the Lord who has compassion on you.
11 “Afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And I will lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies,
And your gates of crystal,
And your entire wall of precious stones.
13 All your sons will be taught by the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be great.
14 In righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
And from terror, for it will not come near you.
15 If anyone fiercely attacks you, it will not be from Me.
Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.
16 Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals
And produces a weapon for its work;
And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin.
17 No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Israel could not see it yet but their deliverance was on the way. Not only their deliverance, but their vindication. It is this vindication that would be noticeable to those that oppressed them. God never does anything half-way and He promises His people that not only would the nations that destroyed them be brought to ruin, but the oppression they were experiencing would be obliterated and they would begin to prosper in every area of their lives. God goes as far as to say Israel will not even remember the shame of their youth.
All they needed to do was wait with anticipation. But this did not mean for them to sit back and do nothing. God urged them to action: “Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your pegs.” After such a long period of oppression and poverty living, God knew His people needed to prepare their hearts and minds for the new season, and to stretch their faith. If they truly believed God’s promise, they would act upon their anticipation. They would begin to live like they were expecting God’s promises to come to pass.
What is it that God has promised you? Many believers never act upon their anticipation because they do not really believe God will actually keep His promise. Waiting in anticipation means that you will live as if the promise is already provided. Waiting on the blessing means to make room for the blessing to come. How are you waiting? Get up today and live a life of eager anticipation. Your actions during this season will show whether or not you truly believe.