Lenten Reflections

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By Jillian Barrett ’24

In trials and in change, the love of God remains the same and fights for us. In this passage in Isaiah 49, we are reminded of the depth of the love of God and his promises to us. God will restore the things of his people and guide us in everlasting mercy. In all that we do, we can be sure that Jesus will continue to show up for us, wait for us, guide us, and comfort us. Sometimes, we find ourselves blinded by difficulty in a way that makes it hard for us to see the goodness of God. Today’s reading says “The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me”. I get it—it can sometimes be so hard to believe in a good, big God when everything seems to be crashing down. I have had so many experiences where I let my feelings blind me from the fact that God sees me in the brokenness. My doubt contaminated my faith.

How can we be confident in the understanding that God is good? We can clearly find His promises in His word. The Bible is unchanging and is the living working word of God. As we immerse ourselves deeper into this, we begin to know the heart that Jesus has for us. This passage, written many years ago, continues to hold power as we read it today. We have a God that hasn’t forgotten us and sees our tears. He will comfort us in our affliction. He loves us and sees us with great kindness. God forgives us, and we can walk forward confidently in power, as we know that we are worthy in His name. I encourage you to continue to spend time seeking the heart of God beyond the passages we read today. Instead of looking for reasons to doubt, try to seek out what God says about you. His words to you are a love letter telling you—you are not forgotten, and that God will continue working for your good even when you don’t feel it.