Kindly, Kayla 🌼

Are you feeling forsaken? Do you feel like God has forgotten about you? Are you feeling like your life is barren, with nothing new springing forth? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, I want to invite you to read Isaiah 54 with me.

A Perpetual Covenant of Peace

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.

⁹ “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
¹⁰ For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

¹¹ “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
¹² I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
¹³ All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴ In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵ Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

¹⁶ “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

-Isaiah 54:1-17 NKJV

Something about this passage has always resonated with me. The words barren, desolate, shame, and forsaken all feel like words that describe the season that I’m in. I don’t mean this in a literal sense, but figuratively, I feel all of these things at times. Don’t get me wrong, I’m truly blessed, but sometimes life just doesn’t turn out the way you expect it to. There have been various trials, and my 20s don’t look like what I thought they would. But this passage gives me so much hope. It reminds me that God is not finished with me, and it encourages me to prepare for Him to come though on my behalf.

We’re gonna dig a little deeper using some commentary from the Enduring Word Commentary to help us understand what God is saying to us today.

“Sing, O barren, you who have not borne: In ancient Israel, the barren woman carried an enormous load of shame and disgrace. Here, the LORD likens captive Israel to a barren woman who can now sing – because now more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman.”

“Enlarge the place of your tent: The curse and shame of barrenness would be so completely broken, and Israel would be so fruitful, that they would have to expand their living space.”

– Enduring Word Commentary

Whenever I read the beginning of this passage, I feel a sense of excitement. As someone who sometimes feels like my life is barren, it’s encouraging to see God bring forth so much newness that it outweighs what already appears fruitful.

Verses 4-6 are the ones that really stand out to me:

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.

Let’s check out what Enduring Word Commentary has to say about this part:

“Shame…disgrace…humiliated represent three synonymous Hebrew verbs sharing the fundamental idea of disappointed hopes, the embarrassment of expecting – even publicly announcing – one thing and then reaping another.” (Motyer)

This really hit hard, y’all. Because I think a lot of what I’m feeling in this season comes from that exact place. Expecting life to look one way, and then having it turn out completely different. But even in that, God is so kind. He reminds us that we don’t have to live in shame, disappointment, or fear. He calls us back to Himself and reassures us of who He is. He’s our Maker, our Redeemer, the One who sees us fully and still chooses us.

Verses 10-11 bring so much comfort:

¹⁰ For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

¹¹ “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.

This is something we can cling to whenever we feel shaken by life’s challenges. Mountains and hills are actually stable and permanent, but God says that even if they were to be removed, His kindness and mercy towards us will not be. That’s such a big, consistent love that our earthly minds can’t even fathom.

The commentary adds something about verse 11 that really resonates with me:

“God cares about the afflicted one. He cares about the one tossed with tempest. He cares about the one who is not comforted. When someone is in this place—afflicted, tossed, and not comforted—it is easy to believe God doesn’t care. But He does, and He gives precious promises to give strength.”

Even though I know that God loves and cares for me, I must admit that sometimes I feel like He forgot about me and is not moving in the season I’m in. I’m still waiting for the right side of my jaw to go back into place. I’m so so grateful that He’s brought me so far in my healing journey, but sometimes I feel that He doesn’t hear me when I ask for full, complete healing. Sometimes I often feel behind in other areas of my life (relationships, jobs, etc.) But this passage reminds me that feelings aren’t the truth. The truth is that God sees, notices, cares, and is working on my behalf even when I can’t see it.

Let’s look at the end of verse 11:

“Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.”

Even in the midst of hardship, God promises to lavish beauty on His people. The commentary explains that when someone feels afflicted, tossed, and not comforted, they often feel poor, no matter what’s in their bank account or what success they’ve achieved. God promises to make the afflicted truly rich, reminding us that His blessings are measured by His love and faithfulness, not by our circumstances.

Reading this passage fills me with hope. God doesn’t just see the storms; He transforms them. He doesn’t just notice the affliction; He redeems it. And even when life feels barren or overwhelming, He brings beauty, strength, and peace that lasts.

The chapter ends with a promise:

“This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.”

There’s something so beautiful about the word heritage. It makes me think of something passed down, that’s secure and lasting. This isn’t about what we can earn or achieve; it’s about what God gives to those who serve Him. This is so freeing! It means I don’t have to prove myself, fix everything, or earn my worth. I can simply trust that God is faithful, that He is my defender, my provider, and my guide. All the blessings, protection, and newness He’s promised are part of the heritage He gives to His children. Thank you, Jesus, for being our righteousness!! It’s so encouraging to know that the promises of Isaiah 54 were not only for the Israelites. They are for us, right now, and I choose to receive them today.

Get ready, friends! Help is on the way. Let’s prepare and enlarge our tents for all the blessings God wants to pour out. Do not spare! This means don’t hold back, hesitate, or wait to make room and prepare your heart and your life for what He wants to do. The blessings He has for you could arrive sooner than you expect, so now is the time to get ready!! I heard someone say once that God wants to bless us more than we want to receive the blessing. How amazing is that?!

Let’s go deeper with God and cultivate intimacy so that we can experience His glory in our everyday lives. Let’s keep hoping, trusting, and waiting patiently for God to come through because He is faithful and His promises never fail.

Thank you so much for reading.

Kindly,

Kayla ♡