No More Shame

No More Shame

By Apostle Felix

4  Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5  For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. 

Isaiah 54: 4, 5

In ancient Israel, the barren woman carried an enormous load of shame and disgrace. Here, the LORD likens captive Israel to a barren woman who can now sing – because now more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman. Israel was taken captive by the Babylonians and was subjected to servitude. The captivity was more than oppression for Israel; it meant shame, humiliation, and disgrace. Israel was taken from its land of fruitfulness, the land that flowed with milk and honey.

In most cases, shame is deeply tied to barrenness and unfruitfulness. Yet, God designed humanity to be fruitful in every endeavor. Because unfruitfulness is not from God, He promised to restore fruitfulness to Israel. Apostle Paul referenced this same promise when writing to the Galatian church. In an allegory, Paul compared two women—Sarah and Hagar—to two distinct covenants representing Mount Zion and Mount Sinai. Sarah represents Mount Zion, which brings freedom, while Hagar represents Mount Sinai, which leads to bondage. Remarkably, Sarah remained barren despite being the actual bearer of God’s promise. Meanwhile, Hagar conceived and gave birth to Ishmael. This created a painful dynamic where the woman holding the promise was mocked by the one without it. Hagar looked down on her mistress, and Sarah was ridiculed by her own servant simply for being barren. But Hagar did not realize that God’s promises are always “Yes” and “Amen.”

27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Galatians 4: 27, 28

Child of God, you may not be in a good space right now, and the mockery from people is mounting. I am here to encourage you not to lose focus on the word of God. His word is a game-changer; it restores you and will make you laugh again. The situation may look hopeless—just as it did for Sarah—but the Lord is well able to turn everything around for your good. Instead of giving in to self-pity, begin enlarging your tent and increasing your capacity for what the Lord has in store for you. Expand your capacity by studying His word, praying, advancing your education, and developing a winning attitude. God has good intentions for your life, planning for your prosperity. He will not put you to shame; instead, He takes your shame away.