God has not abandoned you

Have you ever had a defeat in your life that was so bad, that you nearly gave up? Gave up on God? Gave up on life? Setbacks. Failures. Embarrassments. They happen to all of us. Sorrows happen. Heartaches. Life throws us difficult pitches.

Sooner or later, all of us find ourselves face-to-face with life’s harsh realities – rejection, loss, death. That is why these words of God, given through the prophet Isaiah bring such comfort and hope:

“For Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”

Isaiah was speaking here to the people of Israel. It was a difficult time in the history of God’s people. They felt forsaken by God. They had been conquered by their enemies, living in exile. Only a remnant remained. Now the people were returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple, and God is reassuring them that he has not forsaken them. God is with them!

Often in the Bible when there is a change of status, there is a change of name. Saul is renamed Paul after his conversion. Simon becomes Peter. Here, the people of Israel are given the great promise of a new name, to go along with their new status. They will now be called, “My Delight Is in Her,” and the land, “Married.” No longer would they feel forsaken and desolate.

While these words were spoken to a particular people at a particular point in history, the beauty of scripture is that they can still apply to us today. If you feel forsaken today, hear this word of comfort and assurance. God has not abandoned you. God will sustain you. God will lift you up.

Scottish preacher James Stewart once described our lives like this: “It is when you have sunk right down to the bottom that you suddenly find you have struck the Rock of Ages.” And you “shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her.”