The Time of Blessing

Third and final in a series of studies in Isaiah 54
 
“For a mere moment
I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies
I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:7-8).
 
Israel was in Babylonian captivity for about seventy years, but that time was but a moment to God, especially when compared to all of the time God had watched over her and nurtured her. God had been angry, briefly, but now His mercy will hold sway again.
 
Actually, God has put Israel through His school of correction in Babylon because of her continual rebellion against Him. Israel, no doubt, felt God had left her forever as she endured the hardships of captivity. God assures her that relief will come. Now is the time for blessing.
 
Even though God doesn’t work directly and miraculously with us today, we may feel He has turned His back on us when we undergo difficult times. God allows us to experience life, but He doesn’t send calamities on us as He did on Israel.
 
More importantly, God has made provision in the Christian Age that those living under the Law of Moses never had.  We have constant access to the greatest blessing His grace and mercy could ever extend: the opportunity for salvation through obedience to the gospel of His precious son, Jesus Christ, whose blood bought our redemption.