By Martha Bush

Have you been holding on tightly to God's promises to be fulfilled in your life? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get discouraged and tired when another year passes me by.  It feels as though there is something hanging over me that is waiting to be birthed, as in a regular pregnancy when your baby goes way past the due date.  Can You relate?

Recently, I was listening to a minister on TV who said, “Sometimes God fulfills His promises to us suddenly, as in a quick and unexpected move. He does this by His grace, in His method, for His glory. He referenced, among many well-known examples of a suddenly as the parting of The Red Sea, and Joseph's brothers standing before him after years had gone by since their betrayal of him.

Then he said something that really got my attention: “Let the Song of the Lord become the instrument of birthing your suddenly,” citing Isaiah 54.

Let’s take a look:   

54 “Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

² “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.

³ For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.

⁴ “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

⁵ For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

⁶ For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God.

⁷ “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you.

⁸ With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

 I had read that passage many times, but I wanted to dig into some of those words that struck a bell with me more than ever, such as barren and forsaken. So, I did a little research from the commentary, Enduring Word Bible by David Guzik) 

1-3) Israel will be restored like a barren woman who bears many children.

The Babylonian exile and captivity meant more than oppression for Israel; it meant shame, disgrace, and humiliation. God promises a glorious release from not only the exile and captivity, but also from the shame, disgrace, and humiliation. Enlarge the place of your tent: The shame of barrenness would be so completely broken, and Israel would be so fruitful, that they would have to expand their living space.

(4-6) Israel will be restored like a widow who is rescued from her reproach.

Just as God compared the disgrace of Israel to the shame of barrenness, now He compares their humiliation to the reproach of widowhood. For your Maker is your husband: The LORD promises to stand in the place of her husband to comfort and strengthen His people. God. He is their Maker, He is the LORD of hosts, He is their Redeemer, He is the Holy One of Israel. An earthly husband can never fulfill every need that the great Heavenly Husband can.

(7-8) God explains His restoration of Israel.

God never really forsook Israel, yet He recognized that they felt forsaken. God said, “for a mere moment I allowed you to feel that I have forsaken you.”  When we feel tried and forsaken, we should recognize that it is just for a moment, and the everlasting blessing will certainly come.

 I conclude that:

• God has a plan for each of our lives. He is not a man that He should lie; He will fulfill His promises to us, and it just may be suddenly.
• While we wait upon Him, instead of being discouraged, let’s SING our way to the fulfillment of God's promises.

Won’t you join me in singing Isaiah 54.