Christmas opens a floodgate of memories that may be quite negative for many people. Isaiah 54.5 provides a reason why fear, shame, and loneliness should never linger in the heart of a believer at Christmas time or any other time. "For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth." This verse offers real help and comfort for all of us.
I think of people this year who suffered through the death of a spouse. There are even people who live with another person they call ‘husband’ or ‘wife’ but are without any intimacy in the relationship. Still others who believe loneliness is only cured through marriage, and they struggle with still being single.
I read of a woman who had morning Bible reading and prayer with her husband for 50 years at the breakfast table. On the day he died, she went to bed thinking that she could never again start the day with Bible reading and prayer. But the next morning she mustered up courage, sat at the kitchen table, and opened her Bible to the spot where she and her husband had stopped just twenty-four hours before. The verse God brought to her that morning? "For your Maker is your Husband..." She smiled and thanked the Lord!
The Lord will never fail us in times of loneliness and grief. While the context in Isaiah reminds us of the fact that God had given Israel a bill of divorce, He still considered Himself her husband. Jeremiah 3.8 speaks of that divorce, but Jeremiah 3.14 says, "Return, O backsliding children ...for I am married to you." This reminds us that even when we are unfaithful, God remains faithful. He meets us in our deep need; He meets our deepest need.
Christ is our Husband and Maker (the Hebrew word for Maker in Isaiah is plural - I believe pointing up the doctrine of the Trinity). Just as husbands and wives are one flesh, even so we are in union with Christ. "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6.17). He cares for us in a way that no one else is able to care.
I love my wife; she is dear and precious to me. I am hopeful that I demonstrate that love in different and tangible ways. But I’m confident that I am not as consistent as I ought to be. Christ loves us; we are dear and precious to Him. I know beyond a doubt that He will demonstrate His love in many different and tangible ways. He is always consistent ...always there.
If you are a child of the King, your Husband is your Maker (mixing the metaphors). He did not spurn or reject you. He gave His life for you. This must provoke you to fulfill your duties as a wife toward Him, as the bride of Christ.
If you do not know Christ as a tender, loving Husband, then know that He is still your Maker. If you will not have Him as Husband, your Maker will become your Judge. Maker or Judge? Give Him your heart and be satisfied and loved like never before. This is the cure for not only loneliness at Christmas, but loneliness and isolation for all eternity.
