HAPPY NEW YEAR, to you and yours!!
New calendars are hanging on our walls... 12 pages that have not yet been turned. What will unfold with each turned page we do not know, and the unknown can fill us with anticipation or fear and anxiety.
It is our choice which mind-set we put on, isn't it? But it can be a mindful choice rather than a blind one.
Blooming Deserts!
If you have your Bible, open it to Isaiah 35. I think this passage is a beautiful promise and encouragement for our new year.
This chapter of Isaiah is first of all a prophetic chapter describing eternity on the new earth when everything will be perfect. We only have to look around to know that where we are living now is a long way from perfect.
While this chapter is speaking prophetically it is also speaking to where we live today spiritually. It is the NOW but NOT YET.
We have as it were duel citizenship. Our real citizenship is in the heavenly Jerusalem, but we still have feet of clay walking on this physical earth.
So how real is our heavenly abode to us now? Is it where we 'live' in our innermost being ? Is it the place from which we relate to life - circumstance, events, relationships?
I know how easy it is to let the darkness and dryness and disfunction of this life to discourage us but I want to challenge us to begin , and to build , our 2025 on this Isaiah chapter.
Look how the chapter begins.with a word picture of .a beautiful blooming desert.
The photo above is of a desert in Chili, that is said to be the driest place on earth..Do you feel you can relate it to the 'driest desert' of your life? There is hope!!
It is amazing , isn't it? The unexpected beauty of a desert in bloom, and often this happens overnight!. A seeming miracle! Remember, no matter how hopeless you feel life has become, there is beauty waiting to burst forth!! Our God is a God of miracles - His beauty manifested best in dry places.
. But look again at the scripture passage. There is an important detail easy to overlook if we don't look closely. The blooming of the desert is not a miracle meant to astound us. It is a purposeful RESPONSE to something that happened. What happened?
Chapter 24 describes the Lord's coming judgement, restoring and renewing , resulting in the new earth where all God's creatures will all be safe and with their mates forever! And then chapter 25 describes the rejoicing response of the deserts, declaring praise and glory to the excellency of God.
There is more that causes the deserts to rejoice. Our God, who cares about every little creature also cares about every human being including you and me.
What is the message of the blooming desert? It declares God's promise (vs 3) that His strength is perfect in weakness - let the weak hands be lifted up and the feeble knees made strong!! Let those who are fearful fear no more for our God is our Protector. He is our High Tower, be strong and fear not!!
He is our Healer - physical and spiritual needs are met from His giving hand.
The 'Not-Yet' is not yet come …but spiritually we are encompassed by it and already live in the promises. Our life highway (vs8) is a safe and beautiful one, Jesus, is our Guide as we follow Him. Nothing can take us from His love and as we live and walk and breathe in Him, we too will burst forth with rejoicing along with the desert.
Let us begin 2025 with a heart of Thanksgiving for all we have been given, for all we have been promised and for all that is yet to come!!
A thankful heart will, like the desert, burst forth with praise and song to the excellency of our Almighty God!
