From Forgiveness to Forward Movement
Isaiah 43 and the chapters that surround it feel like a roller coaster ride. All of these are from the perspective of God in the first person.
I love you quietly, even when you don't know it.
I'm really powerful!
You really screwed up.
I'm still in your corner even when you screw up -- I love you so much I forgive everything!
Verses 16-21 are in the vein of I'm really powerful and I'm in your corner.
The book of Isaiah is the word of God as communicated to the prophet Isaiah, and from what we know of Isaiah's time, the Kingdom of Israel was in a period of corruption where the poor were oppressed and idols were worshipped, but Isaiah nevertheless brought a message of hope. Interesting how something so old can still feel relevant.
Understanding this context, it seems clear to me that the message was intense and bombastic to spur on a people who had become complacent and were heading in a very bad direction. How do we, now, in the present, know when we are headed in the wrong direction? How can we find strength in God to do the right thing? Isaiah's hope is grounded in forgiveness, and the knowledge that as God's people we will make mistakes, and that we should carry forward in grace.
Blessed creator,
Give us the humility to reflect on right and wrong,
Even when the truth is complicated,
Even when the path forward is unclear.
Give us the strength to reflect on the most loving and Godly course of action
Help us find strength in you to continue.
Ryan Taylor