Isaiah 54 is God's special love letter to women.  Originally, it may have been addressed to the nation of Israel in its captivity, but many of its promises speak to special situations faced by single women everywhere. In Isaiah 54, God declares His care and promises for several types of women:

·        women who were rejected or deserted by a husband (verse 6)

·        women who face the storms of life alone (verse 11) 

·        the widow (verse 4)

·        single women without children (verse 1)

Read these verses to find God's promises for your needs:

Verse 1: With God, we can have joy and fulfillment in our lives, whether or not we have a husband or children.

Verses 2, 3: God has a plan and a future for single women and their children.

Verse 4: We may feel a shame or humiliation about our singleness, past mistakes, or abuse, but God wants to remove this burden from us.  We need not fear attacks by those who wish to shame or humiliate us.  (Note: in the Bible, widows include not only women whose husbands have died, but also those who have lost a husband for any reason.)

Verse 5: We are not alone.  God is our loving partner and redeemer, the One who is “there” for us.

Verses 6-12:  This part is for the nation of Israel , but it assures us that God sees when we are suffering, rejected, deserted, and distressed.  He cares and has deep compassion for our situation.

Verse 14: God wants us to be free from oppression and fear.

Verse 15:  God makes it clear that He is not attacking us.  He wants to fight for us to give us the victory.

Verse 16-17:  God can use our trials to strengthen us for His purposes.  He is ultimately in control and nothing can defeat His purposes.  He promises to fight any weapons, accusations, or lies that others may try to use against us.  This is our “right” as His servants, and in the end, He will vindicate us.

As we have seen, when the Bible refers to widows it includes not only women whose husbands have died, but also those forsaken by a living husband (see 2 Samuel 20:3).  Chera, the Greek word for widow (used in James 1:27 and 1 Timothy 5:16 ) simply means “lacking a husband.” Almanah, the Hebrew word for widow, means “a desolate place” or “bereaved.” God cares deeply about women who are alone.  The Bible contains a great number of verses promising God’s care and help for them. God promises to be a husband, father, provider, and protector to such women and their children, and promises punishment to those who would harm or oppress them.  Let’s look at just a few of these promises:

·         He promises to uphold her cause.  (Deuteronomy 10:17-18)

·         He will watch over and sustain her.  (Psalm 146:9)

·        He is the One widows can trust. (Jeremiah 49:11)

·        He promises to defend her. (Psalm 68:5)

·        He promises to keep her boundaries intact.  (Proverbs 15:25)

·        He promises to avenge Himself against anyone who takes advantage of her.  (Exodus 22:22-24)

·        A curse will fall on those who withhold justice from her. (Deuteronomy 27:19)

 Discussion Questions:

1.      The bible gives us many examples of how God can bring good out of difficult situations (John 9:3,Genesis 50:20, John 11:14 ,42, and Mark 8 provide some wonderful examples).  David's psalms show that he frequently found encouragement by thinking about how God brought him blessings during difficult times.  Can you share a story of how God has brought good out of what seemed like evil, or brought blessings during difficulties?   

 2.      Have you seen any of these promises fulfilled in your life, or in the life of another single woman?