The Lord will be Merciful

This passage is like the sun shining after a raging storm. The Lord promises to show grace to His people, to those who turn from their sin and exalt His name amid trial. This is a great comfort to us as we face difficulties in the days in which we live. It is impossible for any discerning person to read the past few passages of Isaiah that we’ve studied without remarking on how similar our nation is to the nations of that day. We live in a time when people are blind to the truth, when they prefer to honor perverse men instead of righteous men. They find greater comfort in the smooth, deceitful promises of corrupt politicians than in the truth proclaimed by Christians. They don’t want to think about God, and they certainly don’t want to submit to His laws. They accuse Christians of being the enemy instead of realizing that the liars they have placed as leaders are the true enemy. These are the disturbing and tumultuous days in which we live, and we can’t help but wonder what kind of judgment God is going to bring on such a rebellious and corrupt generation. He has done it to prideful, godless nations in the past, and there is little reason to believe that our nation will be any different.

Such a thought can be frightening. But God doesn’t leave us to fear. He promises in His Word to protect His people, and we can trust in Him, for He is our refuge and our strength in times of affliction and trial. And though, as Isaiah says, we suffer for a little while, it will be for our good, to lead us to repent of our sins. We don’t need to be afraid because the Lord has promised to show us mercy: “For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”

The Lord has promised to bind up our wounds and heal our bruises. We will give Him the glory for His redemption in Christ. So let us not fear, but trust in Him, repent of our sins, and exalt His name in the midst of troubled times.