Today’s Readings:
Ephesians 2:1-10
Psalm 112
Isaiah 35
10 We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!
Ephesians 2:10
The Lord says,
I Am making streams in the desert. I Am causing you to blossom and to bloom in a time of great strain and trials. As you lean on Me, trust in Me and rest in Me, your life is becoming a beautiful and remarkable sign of life in the land that looks forsaken. It’s becoming a phenomenon of thriving in a dry wasteland, of something alive and glorious emerging in the desert.
112 Shout in celebration of praise to the Lord!
Psalm 112:1-4
Everyone who loves the Lord and delights in him
will cherish his words and be blessed beyond expectation.
2 Their descendants will be prosperous and influential.
Every generation of the righteous will experience his favor.
3 Great blessing and wealth fills the house of the wise,
for their integrity endures forever.
4 Even if darkness overtakes them,
sunrise-brilliance will come bursting through
because they are gracious to others, so tender and true.
Though your surroundings are difficult, though the place is full of threats and looks uninhabitable, I Am doing the improbable in your life. I Am causing you to be a sign to the people that trusting in the Lord makes life in the wasteland possible, that waiting on the Lord and counting on the Lord makes life thrive in the dry and parched land. Though all around you looks desolate, I Am causing your life to blossom in great improbable vibrancy and to be marked by the unmistakable blessing of My favor.
Keep moving forward regardless of what people say or think or do. You are walking to the beat of My drum. You are walking step by step with Me, hand in hand with Me, drawn and guided gently by My Spirit to the streams and surprises I have hidden for you in this desert place. Here you are finding nourishment. You are finding My deep wells of joy and favor, of light, life and acceleration. You are finding these hidden just beneath the surface of this dry and desolate land.
10 Yahweh’s ransomed ones will return with glee to Zion.
Isaiah 35:10
They will enter with a song of rejoicing
and be crowned with everlasting joy.
Ecstatic joy will overwhelm them;
weariness and grief will disappear!
You will be a nomad no longer. You will find that I have an oasis hidden here for you in this desert place. You will see that as you do the work I have put in your hands to do and as I ask you to establish and plant yourself in this sweet little oasis, I Am causing streams to spring up for you in the desert. Your life and your habitation of this corner of the desert, will cause the oasis to grow, to expand and to overtake the desert wasteland in due time.
The wilderness and dry land will be joyously glad!
Isaiah 35:1-3
The desert will blossom like a rose and rejoice!
2 Every dry and barren place will burst forth with abundant blossoms,
dancing and spinning with delight!
Lebanon’s lush splendor covers it,
the magnificent beauty of Carmel and Sharon.
My people will see the awesome glory of Yahweh,
the beautiful grandeur of our God.
3 Strengthen those who are discouraged.
Energize those who feel defeated.
My hand of favor won’t leave you in this desert place. But I may neither bring you out from it. Instead, watch as I transform your surroundings into a beautiful thriving oasis, a luscious and spacious place. You didn’t realize it, but you have been planting seeds in the desert all this time — seeds of faithfulness, of hope, of righteousness and justice, seeds of kindness and self-sacrifice. These seeds I Am causing to grow and soon the place that surrounds you will look like you. It will look like the desert no longer. It will look like a beautiful, vibrant, flower-filled kingdom of wide open spaces and thriving life-giving growth.
So keep moving forward with Me, one step and then the next. Plant your feet firmly in the place that I lead you, and watch it transform into a small, sprawling, luscious oasis and that takes over the desert wasteland.
How to Respond
- Trust the Lord. Rest in Him, and don’t hold so tightly to your expectations or way of life.
- Worship, sing, and continue doing the good work that the Lord has put in your hands to do.
- Press ahead with the Lord, and ask Him to open your eyes to the work He is doing in you and around you.
- Live with a grateful and open heart and mind, ready to receive surprises in unexpected packages from the Lord.
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