Isaiah 35:1-10 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 35:1-10. Let’s go!
Isaiah 35:1-10 (NIV)
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
2 it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
On verses 1-10: Isaiah paints the picture of a desert becoming a place of joy, glory, refreshing and healing, where “[t]he burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs” (v7)), where the lame leap and the mute shout for joy (v6), and where streams flow in the desert (v6). For those of us who struggle with fear, verse 4 can be especially comforting.
What event is Isaiah referring to when he paints this picture? Ultimately this is a picture of what heaven is like. It is also a picture of the everlasting kingdom that Jesus Christ will establish on earth when He comes again one day. But in the meantime, praise God that it is possible for us to have partial foretaste of this joy, glory, refreshing and strength. That happens whenever we seek God with a humble heart and spend quality time in God’s presence.
Maybe for you life feels dry like a desert right now. This passage encourages us to know that God can take our deserts and fill them with His glory (v1-2), strength (v3-6a), refreshing (v6b-7a), fruitfulness (v7b), holiness (v8), and joy again (v10). Praise God that when we come humbly before Him, trust in Him and ask Him to fill our lives, God gives us the ability to turn our dry valleys into places of springs.
Father, thank You that You can take the desert that I’m in and turn it into a place of springs. I ask You today to do that. Come and let Your glory, strength, refreshing, fruitfulness, holiness and joy fill my life as I trust in You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
