“That which is shameful within us is being healed by God’s grace.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 31, 2024
Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth. Isaiah 54:4-5, NKJV
Shame is one of the most uncomfortable emotions that we as humans have to experience. We feel shame when the brokenness that lives inside of us makes its way out, often resulting in poor decisions that cause harm to others, even those we deeply and dearly love. Shame brings with it a host of closely associated emotions: embarrassment, guilt, and even anger. Yet whenever we experience shame, it is also a gift, for if we have eyes to see it, it can remind us of one of the foundational truths of our faith: that which is shameful within us is being healed by God’s grace.
When we are ashamed of our thoughts or actions, it does us no good to pretend that the source of that shame is not real. We must not live by lies, and the truth is that each of our hearts is filled with sinful motives that lead us to put others down in order to lift ourselves up or to expose someone else’s shame so that ours remains hidden. Yet wisdom invites us to live in a glorious tension, one in which our shame need not be a cause for despair, for our Lord does not exploit our shame but instead transforms it by his perfect love.
When we look back on our lives, undoubtedly, each of us can recall moments or even seasons of shame, things we did that we deeply regret and desire to keep hidden from others out of fear of what they would think. Perhaps this is “the shame of your youth,” to borrow a phrase from Isaiah. There may be things you did decades ago that have haunted you and threatened your peace for the majority of your life, terrified that someone might finally discover “the real you.” The hope of today’s passage is that the Lord already knows the real you and does not reject or despise you. You have nothing to fear and no need to hide. The Lord looks upon you with compassion and forgiveness in his eyes, longing for you to come into the light so that you may be healed. Hear these ancient words as his word spoken over you today in love. “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame” (Isaiah 54:4).
Prayer
Father, remind us that you never shame or expose us, but tenderly heal us by your perfect love, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Meditate today on these powerful words, applying them to your own story: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame.”
Related Reading
Psalm 25:3; Psalm 31:1; Isaiah 50:7
Worship Resource
Church of the City feat. Chris McClarney: He Lives
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