Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 49:17-18 (NIV)
“Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you. Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.”
Isaiah 49:17-18 (MSG)
“Your builders are faster than your wreckers. The demolition crews are gone for good. Look up, look around, look well! See them all gathering, coming to you? As sure as I am the living God”—God’s Decree—“you’re going to put them on like so much jewelry, you’re going to use them to dress up like a bride.”
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“Your builders hurry; your destroyers and devastators will go away from you. Lift up your eyes and look around [at the returning exiles]; all these gather together and they come to you [to rebuild you].
As I live,” declares the Lord, “You [Zion] will indeed clothe yourself with all of them as jewels and tie them on as a bride.” -AMPLIFIED
“Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” ~G.K. Chesterton
Israel had given up all hope. They felt that God had abandoned them and forgotten them in their captivity. God’s response? “Do you not realize how much I love you? Can’t you see what I have done?”
“Yahweh responds, “But how could a loving mother forget her nursing child
and not deeply love the one she bore?
Even if a there is a mother who forgets her child, I could never, no never, forget you.
Can’t you see? I have carved your name on the palms of my hands!
Your walls are always my concern.” -Isaiah 49:15-16 (The Passion Translation)
And God’s response to their feelings of despondence and abandonment continues in today’s passage. We find God instructing His children to lift up their eyes, watch and see, their deepest desire, to return home, is about to come to pass.
NOTE: The Hebrew root word for children is “bnyk”, which can also mean builders. Also take note, the Hebrew for bride is “kallah“, which can also mean completed, perfected, or even finished.
“Now sweet Zion your children are running pell-mell back to you just as fast as those who destroyed you are leaving. Raise your head, lift up your eyes, and watch your heart’s desire come—All your children, gathered and returning to you. As I live, so I promise. You will wear them with pride all like shining ornaments; you will put them on as a bride on her wedding day.” -(VOICE)
The Israelites had seemingly lost all hope of ever returning home. Their felt that they would never again see the walls of their beloved city, Jerusalem. They were wallowing in their self-pity and wretched situation. God’s reaction to their attitude was to set them straight in their thinking.
First, He reminded them that He had not forgotten them. Then He reminded them of His deep love for them. He reminded them of the fact that He had promised them they would see the walls of their city once again.
In today’s text, we find Him informing them that soon their children, who will be their builders, will come. And, their destroyers and devastators, those who laid their country to waste, will go away. God insists, “Look up. Look around you. See what I am doing right now!” We then find Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, making a promise:
“As surely as I live, I, the Lord, promise that your city with its people will be as lovely as a bride wearing her jewelry.” -(CEV)
“Soon your rebuilders shall come and chase away all those destroying you. Look and see, for the Lord has vowed that all your enemies shall come and be your slaves. They will be as jewels to display, as bridal ornaments.” -(TLB)
“The LORD’s love and faithfulness for Zion are also shown by His promise for their future. It isn’t just demonstrated by the past and the present, but also by His future plans for them. This promise was partially fulfilled in the return of the exiles from Babylon but will be ultimately fulfilled in the regathering of Israel in the last days.” ~David Guzik
Israel had gotten stuck in her depression and despondency. She had given up all hope, in her situation and her God. But God….God had not given up on her. Hallelujah!
In Psalm 43 we find the Sons of Korah reminding us to put our hope in God.
“O my soul, why are you so overwrought? Why are you so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God? Despite all my emotions, I will hope in God again.
I will believe and praise the One who saves me and is my life, My Savior and my God.” -Psalm 43:5 (VOICE)
“There are not hopeless situations – there are just folk who have become hopeless about them!” ~Kathryn Kuhlman
Luke records for us a time when Jesus was talking to His followers about the end times. He mentioned things that would be signs of His second coming, things that they should be aware of and looking for. But He did not want them to become afraid, or troubled, He wanted them to be watching, and patiently waiting, because when they saw these things, they would know that their redemption was near.
“So when the troubles begin, don’t be afraid. Look up—raise your head high, because the truth is that your liberation is fast approaching.” -Luke 21:28 (VOICE)
David reminds us that when we look to God, when we put our hope in Him, and join our lives with His, that we will not only have joy, but we will have nothing to be ashamed of. David wrote:
“Gaze upon him, join your life with his, and joy will come. Your faces will glisten with glory.
You’ll never wear that shame-face again.” -Psalm 34:5 (The Passion Translation)
I encourage you today to never give up hope. If God has made a promise to you, He will do it, but it will be in His time, and in His way. I remind you of something that the writer of Hebrews told us:
“So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us. Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.” -Hebrews 12:1-2 (VOICE)
“Hope is called the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19), because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a ‘wish’ (I wish that such-and-such would take place); rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.” ~RC Sproil
My friend, let us never give up hope in our God, and the promises that He has made to us individually. We can trust in Him, always and forever. Instead of falling into despondence and hopelessness, lift up your eyes and see what the Lord is doing in your life. Trust in the Lord, and do not lean on your own understanding.
“The hope that God has provided for you is not merely a wish. Neither is it dependent on other people, possessions, or circumstances for its validity. Instead, biblical hope is an application of your faith that supplies a confident expectation in God’s fulfillment of His promises. Coupled with faith and love, hope is part of the abiding characteristics in a believer’s life.” ~John C. Broger
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, forgive me for those times that I have given up, and fallen into a place of depression and hopelessness. There have been times, when I have taken my eyes off of you and placed them on my situation and circumstances. Every time I have done that, Lord, I have felt that overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. I should have learned by now. I am so sorry. Help me to keep my eyes firmly fixed on the Author and Finisher of my faith. Help me to lift up my eyes and see what you are doing in this moment of this day. Lord, I am putting all my hope and trust in you.
Growing with God 