“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19
This is, of course, one of my favorite scriptures! It’s the foundational scripture for our ministry. Perhaps that’s why the note on the donation caught my attention.
I was scrolling through my emails when one of the daily donations caught my eye. The note attached to the donation said, “I’m sowing this seed for streams in the desert.”
Even as I read the note, I could sense the full impact of the words I was reading.
Streams in the desert. To me, that means a watering of the dry places. I, if not anyone else, needed to read those words that day.
I thought back to a couple months ago. In our area, we had not had rain for a few months. The ground was hard and dry. The grass was brittle when you stepped on it. Everything looked dead and lifeless.
Sometimes that is how life feels. Even for those of us who are walking with God and trusting in His word.
We all face dry seasons. Seasons where we feel everything around us is hard and lifeless. But that is just a feeling, it is not truth.
I remember a quote I once heard from a movie. It said, “It’s not my feelings that hold me steady in life…” This is so true. We cannot be led by our feelings – we must continue to be led by peace and the word of God. His word and His faithfulness will lead us out of every dark place, into a place of rich fulfillment. We have His promise on that.
As I re-read the note on the donation – I began to meditate on this scripture.
God will make a way in the wilderness. What does that mean to you? To me, it means He will make a way where there seems to be no way. Not only will He make a way, but as we know from scripture, Jesus is the way.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6
Jesus is the way out. Jesus is the only truth, not our feelings. And all life is ultimately found in Him alone.
God will make streams in the desert. Are you feeling dry?
Stop for just a moment. Close your eyes and imagine a stream of cool, flowing water. How would it feel to lie down in that stream and allow the water to wash over you – bringing life where there has been dryness? Pretty good, I imagine!
That’s what His word does in our dry seasons – it washes over us, bringing life and refreshing in times of drought.
There is one more portion of this scripture I want to point out.
Now it shall spring forth. NOW. Now it shall spring forth. No more delays. No more waiting. Now it is happening. God is doing a new thing and it is happening now. I love that!
Friend, if you find yourself in a dry land today – begin to pray this scripture over your life. Begin to declare that God is making a way in your wilderness. Declare He is bringing you out into an abundant place. Begin to declare that streams of living water are flowing through the dry places in your life. Declare it! Believe it! Receive it!
I am thankful to the partner who put that short note on her donation – it has reminded me that we serve a life-giving God who rains on our parched places. Today, I am praying this scripture. Today, I am sowing a seed for streams in the desert. Today, I am declaring His word of truth over my life…and over yours. May His blessings continually rain upon every area of your life.
Meditate on this:
Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. Isaiah 35:6
