Do not be afraid – you will not be disgraced again; you will not be humiliated. You will forget your unfaithfulness as a young wife, and your desperate loneliness as a widow.

Your Creator will be like a husband to you – the LORD Almighty is his name. The holy God of Israel will save you – he is the ruler of all the world.

Israel, you are like a young wife, deserted by her husband and deeply distressed. But the LORD calls you back to him and says: "For one brief moment I left you: with deep love I will take you back. I turned away angry for only a moment, but I will show you my love forever." So says the LORD who saves you.

"In the time of Noah I promised never again to flood the earth. Now I promise not to be angry with you again; I will not reprimand or punish you. The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end; I will keep forever my promise of peace." So says the LORD who loves you.

Isaiah 54:4-10

Close the gate

to the failures and disappointments of the past,

then move on!

To enjoy the future, accept God’s forgiveness for the past.

Our Daily Bread – August 13, 2003