Merciful Lord, I long to be a better person for You, living a life that shows more faith, and trusting in Your death and resurrection. Help me exercise my faith in every circumstance of my life, in my work, in my home and in the privacy of my mind. And may I know Your peace all my days: AMEN
Use these for group work, or to assist your personal reflection.
- What do we learn about our relationship with God in this passage of Scripture? What does God promise His people?
- How does the church of God grow? What pictures or images can you think of which illustrate the organic growth of the church?
- What can we learn from the imagery of love and marriage in this poem? What does ‘everlasting love’ mean today in world in which marriage is for many, not ‘for ever’?
Topis covered by this text
- Church growth
- The marriage relationship between God and His people
- Faithful love - Covenant love
Personal comments by author:
This passage, like many in Isaiah, reveals more the more it is read! It is a song about God’s love, but couched in language which is unfamiliar to us, and study is necessary in order for us to get the most from the passage. Too often, preachers will use in their sermons only a general knowledge of Scripture and the theme of salvation, and they do not dig deeper into the great texts of the Bible that speak of this in greater depth, such as this. Caring about scripture enough to engage in studying it is not merely a matter of scholarship; it is a matter of loving what God has said.
Ideas for exploring discipleship
- Read back over Isaiah 53 after you have read Isaiah 54:1-10, and see whether this helps you understand it better. Look for the connections between the two chapters and meditate on what God reveals to you.
- If you are driving somewhere or have the opportunity for a walk, use the time to think about God’s love, and how He has been gracious to you over the years.
Please refer to the general advice on the page ‘discipleship challenges’
The notes below are offered to help you think about the challenges of God’s Word. Read the notes and suggestions below, but don’t try to follow through any more than one thing at any one time!