Christmas Devotional: 9th December 2020
Have you ever been to a desert? If you have then indulge my imagination, if not then maybe take a moment to picture it with me.
Endless dunes of lifeless sand. Harsh sun beating down with no shade to be found.
Maybe a handful of the hardiest plants and animals are scattered about.
But for the most part it just feels a bit dead.
This is the image at the start of Isaiah 35. But it is not an image that remains. Out of this lifeless, empty place comes life. The parched land will rejoice greatly and shout for joy for the burning sand will become a pool. It will burst into bloom! Life is going to explode onto the scene.
This is a powerful prophetic word from Isaiah. For those living through the exile this desert image will have been a pertinent one. They have seen everything about life as they knew it stripped away. They feel cut off, disconnected, lifeless. Yet here is a promise that this is not the end.
The people are exhorted to ‘Be strong, do not fear!’ (v4). Why is this? Because God will come!
They are told to stand firm and strong because of the promise that God will come and he will bring transformation to this desert.
In verses 5 and 6 we read that when God comes the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame shall leap, the mute will sing for joy! In Matthew 11 Jesus effectively quotes this passage. He uses it to show that the healing miracles that he is performing are evidence that he really is the promised Messiah. I find it really easy to just clump together all of these miracles, they are just so common in the gospels; in fact there are so many that most of them aren’t even described in detail.
So sometimes I need to just stop myself and recognise that every single healing that Jesus performed completely transformed someone’s life.
And those are just the stories of healing. Throughout Jesus’ life we see how in his every interaction he is transforming those around him. It’s easy to get skim through the Gospels and take for granted each of those interactions. But in each one someone looked directly at the face of God and the direction of their life changed.
Jesus came to transform deserts into gardens. To bring life to the lifeless. To bring light to the darkness. And he promises that to us today!
The passage culminates with a joyous return. It promises that the exiles will return, God will show them the way home. We have also been shown the way. His name is Jesus. As we follow him we walk the road to salvation. Just like the exiles we will enter Zion with singing and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Do you feel like you are in a desert right now?
If so take courage as the prophet says “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.”
You might want to spend some time reflecting on your own interactions with Jesus, how has he been transforming you?
I would recommend giving Revelation 21 read. This is the picture of the destination that we are travelling towards. Keeping it in mind can help encourage us to keep going as we follow Jesus day by day.