Read Isaiah 35:1-10

Isaiah is hopeful.  One day this terrible mess in which the people of Israel find themselves will change. God will work miracles.

What we forget sometimes is that the future is the past.  I do not mean to discourage anyone.  It is just that what has been, often will be and is now.

The same human and divine forces that are at work now, have been at work before and themes that emerge will emerge again.

The difference with Isaiah is this. He is sent by God to bring hope. How you see a situation and what you do about it are the keys to happiness. Finding hope, where some will only know despair is a treasured spiritual gift. When Isaiah says, “Be strong and do not fear!” we listen intensely and are moved by the Holy Spirit to  find what has been lost. We believe the Psalmist who says, “Though there be tears in the night, there will be joy in the morning.”

How this happens is a mystery, but it is God’s holy mystery which unfolds like the plot of a great novel. In the end, the story concludes with what was hidden being brought into the light. Everyone plays their part — for better or worse. We learn that tomorrow does not have to be like today. We take the next step. We rise when others fall.

Our weak hands are strengthened. Our trembling knees are made firm.

We shall see.

We shall hear.

We shall speak.

We shall dance.

Life will change.

We will change it with God’s help.

This is true. God has made it so.

Moving to the deeper places,
Jeff