Days 52 & 53 : Whispers; A Lyric

Dandelions John Fielding [CC-BY-SA-2.0]

Isaiah 54:4-6

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame.
    Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you.
You will no longer remember the shame of your youth
    and the sorrows of widowhood.
⁵ For your Creator will be your husband;
    the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
    the God of all the earth.
⁶ For the Lord has called you back from your grief—
    as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband,”
    says your God.

***

The scriptures above are actually about Israel, a rebellious nation that God had turned His back on in anger. God's people had been running from God for a long time, chasing their own desires, living life to suit themselves, and at this point were reeling from the consequences of their own sin. What we see here in chapter 54 is God's promise of restoration, a glimpse into a future when Israel will never again be punished by its Redeemer. A day when Israel becomes... Utopia.

But just like almost everything in the Bible, we can take what was written thousands of years ago and apply it to our own lives. Nothing has really ever changed. There are still good people and bad, loving marriages and abusive ones, hope and despair. There is a reason why God always spoke of Israel as if the nation were a person. The nation was made up of people, just as fallible as you and I, whose sins were the same as yours and mine, and whose triumphs and failures were just as much a roller coaster as ours will ever be. 

Years ago, back around 1997 or '98, the scriptural passage of Isaiah 54:4-6 inspired me to write a lyric. In about 2007 or so, a dear friend in Las Vegas composed some music to accompany it, and even performed it one morning in our church. I really wish I had a video of that recording, but sadly, I don't. I will share the lyrics with you, anyway, and I hope it brings comfort to someone reading it.

Whispers

On one side of town,

in her stately home,

a woman whispers this prayer,

Father the only man

I've ever known

will soon rest in your care...

And she takes his hand,

as he rattles his last breath,

then silence envelops her...

Her children are grown and gone,

there's no one to call upon,

and she cries...

Is there anybody

out there?

Is there anyone

who truly cares?

Is there anyone

who'll take my hand,

and lift me up

from this pit of despair?

Is that a whisper she hears on the wind?

Listen closely, here it comes again...

The rain is falling and she looks to Him,

it's Jesus weeping for His hurting friend.

And He says come, don't be afraid now,

I won't let you be disgraced

in your widowhood,

I will never hide my face,

for I am your maker, redeemer,

your husband and your friend,

and you will never be alone again.

Across town she sits

in her tiny apartment,

all battered and torn...

With a gun on her table,

and a hand full of pills,

wonders why she'd been born...

Was her love not strong enough?

Dear Lord, she's not strong enough

to weather this storm...

He's not coming back around,

he's got a new place in town,

and she cries...

Doesn't anybody want me?

Doesn't anybody truly care?

Is there anyone who'll take my hand,

and lift me up from this pit of despair?

Is that a whisper she hears on the wind?

Listen closely, here it comes again...

The rain is falling and she looks to Him,

it's Jesus weeping for His hurting friend.

And He says come, I'll call you back to me...

and I'll mend the wounds of the broken-hearted,

whose husband set you free,

for I am your maker, redeemer,

your husband and your friend,

and you will never be alone again.

He says come, I'll love you tenderly,

I'll bear all your griefs and burdens

like I did before,

when I hung upon that tree,

for I am your maker, redeemer,

your husband and your friend,

and you will never be alone again.