Compassion for the Disappointed Woman

 By: Lauren Thomas 

All the single ladies? All the widows? All the childless? All those battling infertility? All the disappointed? Over the last few Fridays on the blog, I’ve kept with a wedding theme. But for many, this theme may feel like an unpleasant reminder. Perhaps it reminds you of singleness, or widowhood, or any other numerous disappointments.

Has anyone ever referred you to Isaiah 54? In this passage, the barren woman is told to rejoice. And the widowed, along with those disgraced from youth, are exhorted to fear not, for their Maker is their husband. Now, before you get angry at my insensitivity and stop reading, it doesn’t mean what you think it does.

 

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.

Isaiah 54:5 ESV

 

I have known women who took this passage very literally as a balm against their disappointment over singleness. They would chant this personal mantra: the Lord is my husband. But this is a twisting of the context and a disservice to disappointed Christian women everywhere.

 

This passage refers to the nation of Israel and prophetically addresses their restoration. Israel is the barren one, the widowed one, the ashamed and disappointed one. She is the woman to be restored in this passage.

 

HOWEVER…

 

That God would use these metaphors through the prophet Isaiah tells us something that I don’t want you to miss. God understands the disappointment of women struggling with infertility. God understands the grief of the widow. God understands the loneliness of women who are ashamed and disappointed regarding their marital status. And God knows the longing the disappointed woman faces.

 

While I’m not trying to use this passage as a trite platitude against your disappointment (like saying, “but you shouldn’t be sad, Jesus is your husband”), I do see compassion from God in this passage when taken in context. Because God wouldn’t have used these metaphors if He didn’t understand what your disappointment feels like, if he didn’t have compassion for you. And sometimes, just knowing we are understood goes a long way in undoing our disappointment. God understands. And God has compassion for the disappointed woman.

 

Reflection:

What disappointments have you faced?

If you have read Isaiah 54 before, what did it mean to you previously? Knowing the context, how does it change your interpretation?

What other Bible passages assure you that God is compassionate and understanding of your disappointment?