In my previous blog, I shared about how Isaiah 54:5 has impacted how I view my singleness. Before I shared anything publicly, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t taking this verse out of context. I want to share what I found with you. The heading the ESV study Bible gave for Isaiah 40-55 is “Comfort for God’s Exiles: The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed.”

This is such a great summary of this particular area of life for me! Singleness can feel like an exile sometimes, BUT the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

(Quick note before we begin: This is just a brief overview, so get out your Bible and read along as we walk through this passage together. It is RICH.)

Isaiah 54 follows chapters 52 and 53 which proclaim the promise of salvation in Christ and what He would endure to win His bride. We cannot possibly doubt the love Jesus has for us when we read about all He suffered for us.

Chapter 54 starts on an interesting note. The first three verses declare how God will bless the barren, and He calls them to get ready to receive that blessing. Regardless of our physical state, we are all capable of raising spiritual children and building eternal families.

This passage has implications for evangelism, discipleship, hospitality and missions. Just imagine one of these children taking the Gospel to a desolate city (vs. 3) that has never heard the name of Jesus! God blesses us—and the world through us—as we open our hearts and our homes to others.

Verses 4 and 5 are my personal favorites currently: “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called.”

Back in chapter 6, Isaiah recounts his encounter with “the Holy One of Israel,” and it is a powerful scene. This God Whom the seraphim dared not look upon, Whose voice shook the foundations of the temple and filled it with smoke, is the same God Who calls Himself our husband, Who redeems us, remembers us, and removes our reproach.

The rest of chapter 54 shares some of Israel’s history of unfaithfulness, but focuses on God’s everlasting love (vs. 8), even though He must discipline at times. No matter what we face, His “steadfast love shall not depart” from us, and His “covenant of peace shall not be removed” because of His great compassion for us (vs. 10). He is building our eternal home and establishing us in righteousness (vs. 11-17; 14).

I cannot fathom the immensity of God’s love. Psalm 84:11 says, “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” This means, at least for now, earthly marriage is not good for me, and I can bring Him more glory as a single. He has each of us where we are right now for a purpose, even if we don’t understand or if we desire different circumstances.

These truths do not remove my desire to marry here on earth, but give me a more biblical perspective. Let us focus on the love of our Heavenly Husband and on enlarging our spiritual families as we walk through this broken world.

 

Photo by Philipp Lublasser on Unsplash