PODCAST
An Open Invitation
December 4th, 2015
Isaiah 41:8-17
God’s purpose is always redemptive. Even when He must punish His children for their disobedience, it does not negate His promises or deny His love for them. Judah’s spiritual rebellion led to the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple. Thousands were taken captive to Babylon. “Surely God has forsaken us,” they concluded.
Yet, it was not so. They may have felt like they were not God’s chosen people anymore, but the Lord still considered himself their God. Even when the wrath of His righteous judgment lay heavy upon them, God was already at work for their restoration.
It is so easy for us to think, “I have failed God. He must have given up on me.” How ready we are to underestimate God’s tenacious love! We give up on God, and ourselves, entirely too quickly.
The prophet Isaiah expresses God’s gracious invitation: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (55:7).
Author: Duane Brush
Tags: Mercy, Redemption
