Isaiah 54: The Future Glory of Zion

v. 4- "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood."
Sometimes, I feel like people are just going to see my past and judge me or not listen to what I have to say or embarrass me. I know that the Lord has forgiven me of my past, but the world forgives and forgets so much less often. They want to feel good about themselves or something, which usually concludes in making someone else feel awful. But the Lord promises that even I will forget the shame of my youth. The memories are most likely not going to be wiped from mind, but the shame will slowly fade. You'd think it'd be an immediate result of asking for forgiveness from someone you've wronged and the Lord, but it's not. Forgiving yourself is the hardest part, usually. It's the part of mistakes and messing up that will eat you alive. We are always hardest on ourselves. I must constantly return to Psalm 103:2-5:
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

v. 5-6- "For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God."
Reminds me of when God asked Hosea to marry a prostitute so that he could illustrate God's covenant and marriage with His people, the Israelites. We are all whores. Married to our Master and Savior, yet we openly leave every night to try and be satisfied by something that could never even come close to the satisfaction we receive from our Husband. I am more than guilty of this adultery! I have idols that I am completely aware that I set above my God. Yet He is persistent in pursuing His wife. In Hosea 2:14, He says, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." What? Why?? Why would He want to to keep me? Hosea's wife bore children that were not even her faithful husband's, and yet he consistently and repeatedly romanced and pursued her, just like our perfect Lord. Sip on that for a minute.