“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19
There’s nothing like coming across water in the desert, is there? I live in Phoenix, Arizona so desert conditions are something that I’m very familiar with. Dreadfully hot temperatures characterize close to half of the year here, and without drinking a consistent amount of water, one cannot survive. I remember a few years ago when I was in Egypt how incredible water tasted after a long, hot day. We spent a majority of our time there prayer walking through different parts of Cairo, and the temperatures were very warm. Water seemed to be the only beverage I ever craved during our stay there. We even took a trip down into the Sahara Desert to an oasis a few hours from the city. Sand and wasteland was all you could see for miles. Water would have been a welcomed blessing to any traveler through those parts.
“Rivers in the desert”…almost seems like an impossibility, or simply unfeasible, doesn’t it? Yet, we read this phrase within the promise of this verse. God is doing a new thing, and now it springs forth! If you’ve been reading the past few weeks, we’ve been on a journey together, a pursuit to be women who are found on our knees at the feet of Jesus in passionate pursuit of Him. Have you begun to see that desire at work within you? We’ve been through brokenness and surrender together. We’ve embraced trust and faith and have come to an understanding of what it means to walk in His ways in obedience. Now we meet God at work, making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Have you ever felt like your life was a wilderness, a desert wasteland, dry and parched, desperately needing new life? “A way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert…that’s what God promises, and His promise is one of provision.
There have been many dry, desert-like seasons in my life. Times like these are to be expected in our lives, yet we’re never quite ready for them when they come, are we? Something that I’ve learned over the last several years as I’ve walked with the Lord is that He rarely seems to remove the “desert” from my life, although He is completely able to. Rather, He brings refreshing water to my desert, quenching my thirst and allowing me to continue on in His strength. You see, the desert you find yourself in right now might be a season that continues for some time. God knows the length of it down to the minute, and we can be assured that it won’t be one minute too long. He controls the length and the intensity of each trial, each desert season. What His promise says though is that He will not leave us in the desert without water. “Rivers in the desert”…that is our blessing. Your desert season might not be removed, but you can be sure that Jesus will meet you in it. He’ll meet you at the well. As we seek to follow Jesus Christ, surrendering our brokenness to Him fully, choosing to trust Him to be all that He says He is, placing our complete faith in Him, and walking in obedience to His Word, He faithfully pours out His blessings into our lives. His blessings here are the waters we need to go on, the sustenance we must have to finish the race faithfully.
What desert do you find yourself in right now? Is it a lack of desire to spend time in His Word? Is it a painful season of heartache and loss? Are you grieving? Do you just need direction and guidance on where to go or what to do? Rest in His promise today. He makes a way in the wilderness. He places rivers in the desert to bring new life. He doesn’t leave us alone, and He will never forsake us. He is true to His Word, and His promise endures. Come to the river, receive His blessings, and taste and see that the Lord is good!
1. Have you experienced God’s blessings in dry seasons of your life? How?
2. Journal a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord, praising Him for His constant provision and presence in your life, even if the “desert” remains.
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