This is Day 20 in our 40 Day Journey from setback (exile) to comeback. Today I’m looking at the comfort that God has for people who wind up in exile.

God Comforts Exiles

It’s surprising to me how many stories in the Bible relate to exile. Once you realize this, the Bible becomes even more relevant. Many books are written directly to exiles: to correct them or comfort them. Isaiah is a good example of comfort:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." Isaiah 40:1-5

In other words, days of exile have an expiration date. They aren't meant to last forever.  There is a tipping point to suffering where you can start looking for God to show up and bring you "home." 

The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. "Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm. Isaiah 51:3-5

God Has Not Abandoned You

If you are in the midst of exile, God's salvation might seem hard to believe. Maybe you looked for it for so long that you gave up. You conditioned yourself to no longer look for God. You've accepted "exile" as your lot in life. You assume you’ve been abandoned.

Don't be too quick to accept that role. Salvation might be nearer than you realize.

Have you given up on God? Did your exile cause you to walk away, assuming that God walked away first?  Or do you still have hope of his return to rescue you?

This 40-day journey is adapted from my book, Return from Exile.

Go to the Home Page to discover all my books, blogs, and coaching options to help you be a better person and live a better life. When you subscribe to readingremy.com you will receive the first chapter to my book STUCK and a weekly blog post. Subscribe Here.