“Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth…” Isa. 54:5
Heavenly Father, this portion of your Word makes non-dancers want to follow King David’s onto the dance floor of your grace (2 Sam.6:14-22), non-shouters yell praises (Psalm 98:4-9), and non-hand-raisers reach for the heavens (1 Tim. 2:8-10). Your heart-healing kindness for us is overwhelming.
In Isaiah’s words, you intend us to live in grace, not disgrace—to celebrate with joy, not hide in shame… to overflow with hope, not be paralyzed with fear. Hallelujah, there’s nothing left in us for you to discover, causing you to second guess saving us. Your name is Redeemer, and our name is Beloved.
By the riches of the Gospel, you have done SO much for us. This isn’t a list; it’s our very life. You raised us from death to life, and completely forgave of all our sin for all time. You declared Jesus’ cross as our Judgment Day (Gal.2:20), and Christ’s righteousness to be legally ours (1 Cor. 1:30). Citizenship in heaven and being cherished as your adopted children now define us more than our passports and family of origin. Sealed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, you will finish making us like Jesus one gloriously perfect Day.
Abba, until that much craved Day, make Jesus and the Gospel more palpably real to us—truer, sweeter, and more beautiful than ever before. Father, make us quick repenters and lightning-fast forgivers, as we seek to love others as Jesus loves us. So Very, Very Amen.
