God pursues
In these last three chapters of Isaiah God announces that he will restore Jerusalem but he also reviews the heinous sin of his people. God pursued Jerusalem. He called out to them. He spoke loving words and sought relationship. But the people turned away. They pursued their own direction and sought to please themselves. They saw and heard God but acted as if He did not exist. Such intentional sinning is what brought destruction. But God promises that their grief will be turned to relief. No longer will there be tears. Instead there will be a new Jerusalem. It will be a place of joy and thankfulness. It will be a place where people praise God and no longer seek to leave him or sin against him. It will be a place where God and his people will live in complete harmony. This same image is used in the New Testament to describe the relationship between God and his people through Christ. It is a beautiful image of what can and will be. May we anticipate the day of being in the New Jerusalem. The day when we will live in complete harmony with God. The day when there will be no tears and we will be filled with joy. Thinking of what will be brings praise, thanksgiving, and patient endurance.