Day 9 - Enjoy the Silence

Isaiah 43:16-21 ----

¹⁶ This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,

¹⁷ who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

¹⁸ "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹ 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.

²⁰ The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,

²¹ the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

Hey you guys! Okay, read this, really read it, then check it out in "the message" translation on www.biblegateway.com. I think you'll like it.

So, God's promise to us, is that He'll make a stream in the Dessert. God promises that He will make something new come from something that is dried up. This is my favourite, He encourages you to not dwell in your past, but on the now and the new. You know what is kind of lame? Sometimes our past makes it hard to focus on the present. Are thoughts and memories of disappointment, betrayal, or regret, distracting you from the new things God wants to do in your life? Journal some of those things that might be holding you back.

Okay, picture a dry disgusting wasteland dessert, being transformed by fresh streams of water. Now picture your life being drastically renewed by God's overflowing love and grace. Don't move away from this image too quickly. Think about it. What might spring up from a life so refreshed? That's the mystery and wonder of your present.

Picture it. You and God are standing together on cliff, looking down on a field that was once a dried up dessert, but now it's healthy, lush, and green. What's exciting is that maybe that growth is only in it's earlier stages. Either way, it is ALIVE, with new hope!

Journal, what do you think God might say to you as you look across the landscape of Your life today? What would he invite you to see? Thoughts?

"I see the clouds, and yes I'm read, to dance upon this barren land. Hope in my hands. It's 'gonna rain."

-Colton