A Stream In The Desert

By: Joanne Viola

The first day of spring was last week. The time of year when everything planted comes back to life. Nothing remains dormant.

A quick walk around the house recently and I noticed the trees were budding.To my surprise, there was new growth beginning on some of the plants. Seeing the new growth brought this to mind:

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”  (Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

1. God is doing a new thing. “Doing” means He is making or creating a new thing. His reason? To show us His faithfulness.
2. We need to perceive what God is doing. The NASB words it a little differently: “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it?” The problem lies with our lack of awareness of His activity. May He give us eyes to see and ears to hear. His reason? He desires to be in relationship with us.
3. God is making a way. His reason? To bring about a change – a change in circumstances; and a change in us.

God is in the habit of causing new growth to spring up in places we do not expect to see growth. Notice that the place in which He makes the way is “in the desert” and “in the wasteland”. In neither place would we have high expectations of growth or production. Yet our God chooses those very places to demonstrate Himself to us. Perhaps good questions to ask ourselves today would be: “Where is the desert in life? Where is the wasteland?”

We need to be aware that it is in those very places our God is fully able to work …

in the midst of pain,
in the midst of no hope,
in the midst of uncertainty,
in the midst of rejection,
in the midst of loneliness,
in the midst of unmet desires.

In those very places, He desires for the answer to spring up. He desires to bring about a new thing in our lives. He is able to make a way where there is no way. Scripture tells us the very reason that He responds to us in this way:

“That they may proclaim my praise.” (verse 21)

Today may we perceive Him. Today may we see what He is doing around us. Today may we see the way He alone is making. And today may we proclaim His praise!

Today may we see His stream in the desert.

Photo by Alex He on Unsplash