A Way In The Wilderness

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. -Isaiah 43:19

 

I can’t help feeling that in the last few, bitterly cold weeks of winter, the world around me starts to slightly resemble a “wasteland.” The occasional snow is beautiful, but in those dry and dreadfully cold winter days, I’m usually inside hiding under a blanket and dreaming of  warmth and sunshine. With the dead grass and flowers, the absence of the bird’s chirping, and nothing but a memory of sunny blue skies, I feel like life becomes a little bit dull.  Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about spring! I feel like life is returning. The brightening green grass, blooming flowers, the cheerful sounds of the birds singing, and sunny blue skies seem to add a bit of color back to life after the gray winter days. Spring always reminds me of God’s renewing grace. Sometimes I think we find our hearts stuck in a wasteland; our passion gone, God’s voice distant, our prayers unanswered, and our hearts hurting. We find ourselves in a spiritually dry place in desperate need of God’s downpour of grace. The amazing thing is that when we come to that inevitable drought in our walk with God, whether it has been a bad day or a bad year, and we find ourselves in that place of need, God will meet us there.  God will take the wilderness of our heart and make a way, he will create streams in the the wasteland of our souls. Sometimes it takes coming to that dry and barren place for us to realize how much we need God’s living water.  Just like the returning beauty and color of spring after a cold and dark winter,  God will restore life and passion to our hearts. I’m excited to enjoy the divine artistry of God’s creation and the reminder of His redemption and grace we see in His world during this beautiful spring season.