WON’T SEE SHAME
- DAY 307
- FAITH FILE: YOU
- SCRIPTURES: ISAIAH 54
“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.”
ISAIAH 54:2-3
Earlier this year we were preparing to move to a new city on God’s instruction. So we decided that it would be wise if we got accommodation before we packed up our lives to move to a place we had never lived and had no family or friends to live with. So we got some agents there to help us search and we didn’t find a suitable place. We prayed and God said move first.
This meant we had to let go of our clients, resign from our role in church, and pack up our lives without the assurance of a job, a ministry position, or a roof over our heads. Oh, did I mention we had no money? We were to go all in without any assurance but God’s word. When people asked us if we had a home or were to stay we said we would find one when we got there.
All or Nothing
This is the situation of the barren woman in our text. God is asking her to go all in; to spare no expense, to expand her habitation and make room for a baby but she hasn’t missed any periods yet. What will she tell the lady at the store who is saying congratulations because she can see diapers and onesies in her shopping cart? What will she tell the neighborhood carpenter and painter who is designing the baby room? How will she explain that she is expecting to be expecting? What happens if she goes all in and no baby arrives, how can recover from the embarrassment?
Most times we are afraid to go all in because put our trust in God because we think we will be put to shame. Shame there implies that we won’t get the results for our faith in Him but that is not true because “God is a rewarder of them that diligently seeks Him.” No one puts their trust in Him and ends up regretting that decision. So do not be afraid.
A True Reward
Let me be clear, reward might not always be a baby, it could be learning to trust God, growing in patience and dependence, and detaching from a faith that is built on getting things instead of knowing God. Yet let me announce to you that you will never be put to shame. You will forget the shame of your youth, the shame of your unfruitfulness.
Ask the Lord to help you go all in. Only strength from the spirit can empower you do this. May the Lord grant you that strength in Jesus’ name. Amen
Shalom
