“The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: ‘The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in.’ Then you will say in your heart: ‘Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?’” Isaiah 49:20-21
What beautiful truth this passage speaks to my heart of the faithfulness of our great God in the midst of our affliction. I see in it a picture of someone on the other side of pain and difficulty, who looks around them and suddenly sees all of this fruit that resulted from it. Abundance like they never imagined. Blessings they never saw coming. They look around and think, “Where did all of this come from? When did this happen? How did it happen?”
This amazement can hit us even when we walk through hardship clinging to the hope that God will not waste the hurt, that He has good purposes within it. Because He loves to show what He will do for those who wait for Him, who take refuge in His name and hold fast to faith in Christ. God delights in far surpassing any expectations we have for what He can and will do. After this question is posed in Isaiah, God answers, speaking of the children He will bring to them. This seems to be Him saying, “Just wait. More is coming. Get ready, because you’re about to see something even greater.”
“Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame…for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children…Then all flesh shall know that I am the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob” (Isaiah 49:23-26). We will see and experience the goodness and faithfulness of our God who can do all things. We will know that He is the LORD, Creator of heaven and earth, the One who holds all things together and for Whom all things are possible, and we will know that those who wait for Him shall not be put to shame. “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4). He acts for us. He contends with those who contend with us. So we can rest in Him, trusting that He will not fail us and will not overlook the wrongs against us or the hurts we have endured. We will not be put to shame when we wait for Him, because He always shows up. He always pours out grace and strength for the moment, and He always comes through. All flesh will know that He is the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
In Pleasant Places 