Isaiah 35

 Isaiah 35

I start April with my very own brief meditation on Isaiah 35

“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.  No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

I love verses 3-4 – God will come and save me. Then look at the result – signs, wonders, and miracles shall follow. This is prophetic for today. Particularly poignant to me, given that today is “All Fools Day”, “whoever . . . . although a ‘fool’ . . . .  shall not go astray.” Finally, “all sorrow and sighing shall flee away”. FLEE away – not simply go away.

What a wonderful risen and living Lord we serve.