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saiah 49:13: “Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.” The prophet Isaiah lived about 2,700 years ago. Around that time, the Assyrians invaded the northern part of Israel and forced many people into exile. More than a hundred years later, the Babylonians conquered the southern part of Israel, destroying Jerusalem and the Temple, and forcing people into exile once again. Before the Babylonian takeover, many prophets had warned of this happening, but God’s people paid no attention and refused to amend their ways. Many people were also killed at that time, but the Lord never forgot them; nor will He forget us. Sometimes we feel, though, that God has forgotten us, especially when we are afflicted with troubles. They cause us to waver in
His Grace Magazine!
September 2021
Sing, oh Mountains! such a way that we don’t rest on the promises of God. We become weak and stumble, and fall. But Isaiah 49:15 tells us,
And because of their unfaithfulness to Him, He faithfully disciplined them because He will not and cannot let
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” The Lord’s affection for His people is greater than the devotion a woman has for her nursing child. How could He, who chose you in Christ to save you before the foundation of the world, ever forget you? Yet, God’s people complained that their God had forgotten them.
them walk in the error of their ways. When God disciplines us, we murmur and complain. We become depressed and despondent. But God tests us in order to prove what is in our hearts, desiring that this will humble us and teach us to rely on Him. The goal of God’s discipline is to always bring His people back to Him. Isaiah 54:7-8 says, “’For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion
I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,’ says the Lord your Redeemer.” Unfortunately, as long as we are filled with fear and anxiety, we doubt God. God reminds the doubting Jewish nation that He will protect and free His people and return them to their land. Despite their hardships, the Lord never forgot the children of Israel, whether they were exiled in Babylon or scattered all over the earth. God’s purposes are to be fulfilled there. Those who try to ruin that will be defeated and the land will become well populated and prosperous again. Isaiah 49:22-23 says, “Behold, I will lift up My hand in an oath to the nations, and set up My standard for the peoples; they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers;
