Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 30, 2024
Isaiah 54:4-7
4 Don’t fear, because you won’t be ashamed; don’t be dismayed, because you won’t be disgraced. You will forget the shame of your youth; you’ll no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood. 5 The one marrying you is the one who made you the LORD of heavenly forces is his name. The one redeeming you is the holy one of Israel, the one called the God of all the earth. 6 As an abandoned and dejected woman the LORD has summoned you; as a young wife when she is rejected, says your God. 7 For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great mercy I will bring you back.
Good Morning! God promises that joy returns in the morning!
Chapter 54 of Isaiah offers hope and restoration to God’s children scattered into exile in Babylonia. Isaiah uses the imagery of marriage and widowhood with Israel as the bride. In that culture, a woman without her husband was reduced to a nonperson status. She had no money, resources, or future in the male-dominated society.
As God’s children in 2024, most of us will not experience a physical exile from our homeland, but during our lives, we will likely feel embarrassed, abandoned, and rejected at times.
The past four years have brought significant changes to my life. When Lowell’s earthly battle with cancer ended, my life forever changed. Those first moments following the passing of a spouse are filled with questions and emptiness. It is like losing a part of yourself, especially when the couple has been married for a long time. As a young bride, I don’t think I realized the significance of two words becoming one.
Besides God, who knows you the way your spouse knows you? When you live as one for so many years, the surviving spouse must navigate the world in a new way. You experience so many firsts. I remember buying my first car, signing my first lease, and even going to eat. No longer do you share the decision-making process with your spouse. The decision is yours to make. It’s different when you choose to eat out on your own. It’s very different when eating alone is your only option.
The Good News is that God has accompanied, pushed and prodded me and opened my eyes to a world of hope and reconciliation. God has blessed me with the opportunity to walk beside, speak, and share my experiences with others trying to navigate their new lives.
His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5
Faithful God, Thank you for creating us. When we are down, the stories in the Bible give us hope for a new day. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: We are never alone when we are in God’s care.
Look for the joy amid the raindrops! Pastor Liz
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