"Delight!"

"...You shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give... You shall no more be termed, 'Forsaken,' and your land shall no more be termed, 'Desolate'... but you shall be called 'My Delight Is In Her,' and your land, 'Married.'"

(Isaiah 62:3,4)

Names are powerful things.  We're all given a name at our birth (or very soon thereafter).  Sometimes that has genealogical significance.  We are named after beloved family members of the past.  Other times our parents name us with a future in mind (our son, Ezra's middle name, Tadao, means "faithful man" in Japanese).  Then we sometimes acquire names as we move through life.  Nicknames.  Pet names.  Terms of affection.  Sometimes these are funny, encouraging, or situational.  Other times they're a bit more painful (we humans can often be mean & cruel to others).

Isaiah understands the power of names.  The people of Israel had developed a painful nickname: "Forsaken."  It seemed like God had abandoned them.  Their land, once affectionately known as "The Promised Land," was now deemed "Desolate."  But God was ready to change all that!  Israel would soon, by God's grace garner a new name: "My Delight Is In Her."  The land would be known as "Married."

I think this is a word we ALL need to hear from time to time.  When we think we've been forsaken by God (or others)... Isaiah 62 blows through our souls, reminding us that God's delight is in US!  We are not forsaken, no matter how it may seem to us.  Take heart, my friends.  Have courage.  God loves us & delights in us.  What a blessing.