Promises, Promises
By: Denise Pass © 7/8/14
Isaiah 54:4-6, 13-14, 17
:4 “Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame! Don’t be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated! You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth; you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment. 5 For your husband is the One Who made you – the LORD who commands armies is His Name. He is Your Protector, the Holy One of Israel. He is called “God of the entire earth”. 6 Indeed, the LORD will call you back like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, like a young wife when she has been rejected, says your God. 13 All your children will be followers of the LORD, and your children will enjoy great prosperity. 14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. You will not experience oppression; indeed, you will not be afraid. You will not be terrified, for nothing frightening will come near you. 17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed; you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. This is what the LORD will do for His servants – I will vindicate them,” says the LORD.
Have you ever felt shame from a circumstance in life, like there is no recovery for you? Not so, according to God. He is never finished with any of us. I remember the biggest fear I had in the wake of the scandal that rocked our home was that my children would no longer believe in or love the Lord. How could a Christian do something like this to his family? Hypocrisy from a believer is almost worse than the crime itself. The damage infidelity and abuse do to the human soul is incomparable. Lives are shattered by a parent who do not keep the sacred promise to not harm their own children. But God.
Maybe it was a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a stranger who you were counting on, or maybe you were the one someone else was counting on. In an uncertain world, we all cling to the hope that there is something, someone we can count on. But when that person lets us down, our innocence and hopes are dashed temporarily and we can search for something, someone to fill that void. The problem is, no one is perfect but the One. Whatever we find that we think will deliver perfect comfort simply cannot bring lasting peace and security.
So how do we learn to trust again in promises in such a shaky world? Promises are the foundation of every good relationship, but being vulnerable to another person or entity is an act of faith and difficult to do in a day and age when promises can be taken very lightly. Without promises, there is no security, but broken promises can be mended by the One Who always keeps His Word.
These verses above are full of amazing, precious promises from God to … His servants … not just anyone. Who would not want to be His servant when you see what God does for them? We have all been on the receiving end of a promise not kept, or kept a promise that was not deserved. But nothing is ever wasted with God and what we detest which was a reproach to us can be the very tool God uses to bring us into a beautiful place. Instead of trying to cover over our shame and pain, lay it bare before the Lord and trust Him to pick up the pieces. He’s good at that… and He keeps His promises.
Lord, Thank you for making and keeping your promises. Help us to honor our promises and to let our yes be yes and our no be no.