Isaiah 54 (HCSB)
Future Glory for Israel
1 “Rejoice, childless one, who did not give birth; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the forsaken one will be more than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will dispossess nations and inhabit the desolate cities.
4 “Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; don’t be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5 Indeed, your husband is your Maker—His name is Yahweh of Hosts—and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
6 For the Lord has called you, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” says your God.
7 “I deserted you for a brief moment, but I will take you back with great compassion.
8 In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but I will have compassion on you with everlasting love,” 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 never flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
10 Though the mountains move and the hills shake, My love will not be removed from you and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” says your compassionate Lord.
11 “Poor Jerusalem, storm-tossed, and not comforted, I will set your stones in black mortar, and lay your foundations in sapphires.
12 I will make your fortifications out of rubies, your gates out of sparkling stones, and all your walls out of precious stones.
13 Then all your children will be taught by the Lord, their prosperity will be great,
14 and you will be established on a foundation of righteousness. You will be far from oppression, you will certainly not be afraid; you will be far from terror, it will certainly not come near you.
15 If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever attacks you will fall before you.
16 Look, I have created the craftsman who blows on the charcoal fire and produces a weapon suitable for its task; and I have created the destroyer to cause havoc.
17 No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is from Me.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 4): I have a lot of shame and regret that I still hold onto from my youth, Father. Please forgive me for holding onto these things and allowing them to define me. Help me to live in the grace and joy that You provide, Father, and to let go of the shame from my past. Help me to move forward in the life You want me to live in so that I no longer allow my past to define me.
PROMISE (verses 7-8): You give us assurance, Father, that You will have compassion on us. That Your love will be an everlasting love. Help me to truly understand and embrace this love and compassion only You can provide, Father.
ATTITUDE (verse 14): Help me, Father, to maintain an attitude that is securely planted on a foundation of righteousness. Help me to live on this foundation that You provide, so that I will live unafraid in Your will. Remind me when I stray to get back on Your foundation, Father, so that my transgressions become fewer and fewer moving forward in this life.
COMMAND (verses 13-14): You command us, Father, to ensure the teachings we provide to our children are from You, so that they too will have a foundation of righteousness. Help me to remain consistent in the teaching of my children, so that Your ways do not depart from them as they get older, Father. Help me to establish You as their primary Counselor, Teacher, and Father so they grow in Your ways and not the world’s.
EXAMPLE (verses 5-6): The example You give us of how our relationship with You should be, Father, is profound and amazing. You tell us that Jesus is like our Husband in this relationship and we are the bride. Help me to live in a way that honors my covenant as a bride of Jesus, Father. Humble me and teach me how I can do better in our relationship so that I may always honor You and glorify Your Kingdom, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: I have made many mistakes in the past but have also allowed those mistakes and the things that happened to me as a youth define my identity. I know this is not my identity in You, Father, but I struggle so much with breaking out of the identity I’ve allowed my past to define me as rather than embracing my identity in You. Help me to remember that You defined my identity in You before I was even conceived, yet the corruption of the flesh and of the world has driven me so far way from the identity You have for me. Help me to learn more about and embrace the identity I have in You, Father, so that I may walk with confidence in my identity.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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