People Are Forgiven

Isreal suffered because the people sinned. Everyone-both Isaiah and the people-

knew the reason for their suffering. The people's sin wasn't winked at or whitewashed,

but the people who sinned were completely accepted. God received them as forgiven people,

and treated them sympathetically as judged people.

We can learn from this. Suffering people are suffering because they have been separated

from something that is vitally important to their existence., whether their home or their

loved one or their God or something else. All of these separations, though different in degree,

feel similar. And all have the same guilt attached to them-whether real or imagined. That guilt

needs to be acknowledged and addressed. If we deny it, we'll never find out anything about our

past that can give us comfort from the present or courage for the future. And worse, we won't

recognize God's first words when he is bringing comfort to us: " Speak softly and tenderly

to Jerusalem.....that her sin is taken care of-forgiven! (Isaiah 40:2).

This very dry, colourless, arid existence seems to characterize the life of the sufferer-

here is where the highway of God is to be built. Don't look for some ejection button to

push for an immediate escape. Instead, build a highway, which takes time. Build it well.

Build it where you are.

timeforINRI