A Special Meditation For International Women's Day

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

"Although this chapter is primarily intended to express Zion's joy over

redemption, it also has a very personal, long-neglected, and often overlooked

message for women-the lonely, the disappointed, the childless, the widow.

It has all the glorious confidence and assurance, the incentive and understanding

 for which feminine hearts have longed throughout the ages!

Every woman who will read it every week for a year with a receptive

heart and mind will find herself not only spiritually prepared for her own

childlessness or widowhood, should it come, but also supplied with

rich treasure with which to address the similar needs of countless

other aching hearts to whom the Holy Spirit is here speaking."

-The Amplified Bible

ISAIAH 

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Sing, O barren one, you who did not bear; break forth into singing

and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child!

For the spiritual children of the desolate one will be more

than the children of the married wife, says the Lord.

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations

be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes,

For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your

offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities inhabited.

Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed,

for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your

youth, and you shall not seriously remember the reproach of your

widowhood any more.

For your Maker is your Husband

-the Lord of hosts is His name-

and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;

the God of the whole earth He is called.

For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken, grieved in spirit,

and heartsore-even a wife, wooed and won in youth, when she is

later refused and scorned, says your God.

For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion and

mercy I will gather you to Me again.

In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment,

but with age-enduring love and kindness I will have compassion and mercy

on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.

For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I swore that the waters

of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will

not be angry with you or rebuke you.

For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or

removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall

My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord,

Who has compassion on you.

O you afflicted city, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold I

will set your stones in fair colors in antimony to enhance their

brilliance and lay your foundations with sapphires.

I will make your windows and pinnacles of sparkling agates or

rubies, and your gates of shining carbuncles, and all your walls of

your enclosures of precious stones.

And all your spiritual children shall be disciples taught by the Lord

and obedient to His will, and great shall be the peace and undisturbed

composure of your children.

You shall establish yourself in righteousness, in conformity with

God's will and order: you shall be far from even the thought of 

oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror,

for it shall not come near you.

Behold, they may gather together and stir up strife,

but it is not from Me. Whoever stirs up strife against you

shall fall and surrender to you.

Behold, I have created the smiths who blow on the fire of coals

and who produces a weapon for its purpose; and I have created

the devastator to destroy,

But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every

tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be

in the wrong.  This peace, righteousness, security, triumph over the

opposition is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced;

this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain

from Me, this is that which I impart to them
 as their justification, says the Lord.

"He Is My Defense"
Marty Goetz