Speaks

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,

    “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;

and let not the eunuch say,

“Behold, I am a dry tree.”

For thus says the Lord:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

    who choose the things that please me

    and hold fast my covenant,

I will give . . . .

And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,

    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,

    and to be his servants . . . These I will bring . . . .

Isaiah 56:3-7

Lord of all, I love how you see so clearly the complaints, the fears, the exception-making, the shame of all. You hear the eunuch, the outcast, say, “Behold, I am. . . .” and address him right there. You hear the foreigner say, “Surely the Lord won’t . . . for me.” You speak directly to his fear.

You are the God who hears. And those words of ours, no matter how filled with doubt, fear, do not fall to the ground. You spend twenty-six chapters in Isaiah (40-66) giving comfort to the most doubting of people. “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me; my LORD has forgotten me” (Isa. 49:14).

“Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old. . . Was it not you who did the Exodus? Where are you? Do you still do things like that? Are you sleeping?” (paraphrase of Isa. 51:9-10).

You are the God who says, “Let not Gillian say . . .” and speak your names to me. You are the God who says "Let not (your, the reader's, name) and speaks your name to him/her. Our High Priest speaks for us, individually. Our Father speaks to us. The Spirit groans with us. God, you are the God who says, “Let not (your name) say (your fear, shame, doubt, question).” Speak now, for your servants are listening to the God who speaks--to that.