Blessed by the God of Truth

Isaiah 65:16

Whoever is blessed in the land will be blessed by the God of truth, and whoever swears in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the former troubles will be forgotten and hidden from My sight.

When God blesses you, He blesses you so completely that your former troubles are forgotten.  There is so much new in which to rejoice that you can’t concentrate on the old. Only God can bring such a blessing. In this verse, Isaiah proclaims the same promise for Israel that God had already performed for Job. While Job was blameless, Israel had brought trouble on herself through rebellion. God’s promise of restoration for Israel after she repented, however, was the same as what He did for Job, whose latter years were greater than his former years.

Job suffered tremendous loss and hardship. His health deteriorated before him. All he had left were friends who thought he was being punished and a wife who encouraged him to curse God and die. No one had any hope for him. Job, however, submitted his suffering to God. If it were God’s will for him to suffer, so be it. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. If he had sinned, he didn’t know how. He just knew and acknowledged that God was in control. 

There may come times in our lives when we don’t understand the suffering we are called to endure. Friends may abandon us because they have no hope for us. Family members may encourage us to give up because they have already given up on us. We may have brought the calamity upon ourselves, but if we did we are not sure how. We have to submit such times to God, knowing that He is in control. There is a time limit on our suffering, even if it kills us.  One day, we will be free from it and will rejoice again. When God brings us through it and blesses us on the other end of it, that blessing will be so great that we will forget all about how terrible it was and know with all certainty that His hand was at work the entire time.  That blessing is worth the wait!

Place your hope in the God of truth today. Even if your suffering is the result of your own disobedience, God’s promise of restoration is the same for those who repent and turn back to Him. He sees every tear and pain you bear and has already declared the end. Rejoice in knowing that whatever He has for you, it is so great that you will forget your current hardship. He has not forgotten you nor forsaken you. He is working His glory in you!

Have a blessed day!