The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Isaiah 35:1
  
While I was studying, I came across this verse in Isaiah.  When I looked at it in three different translations the heading for the chapter was different in each one.  Three headings, same chapter.  Three ideas, one article.  Here we go.
 
Joy of the Redeemed 
I know a teacher who greets her students with a hug or a high-five… they get to choose.  She can also say “good job” in a sing-song-y voice and the entire class will start singing right along with her.  Joy is contagious and, sometimes, joy is hard to come by.  Long nights grading, lesson plans, new mandates from the state… it seems like a mountain of work for little to no recognition.  But all the teachers I know don’t do it for the recognition.
 
There is something that happens in a heart when joy is sparked.  A desert full of insecurity and apprehension can melt away.  Strategies for learning weave in and out of “you can do this” and “let’s try again.”  Even a desert can blossom.  The joy of the redeemed reaches out and says, “keep going.” 
 
The Ransomed Shall Return
Mother’s Day should be a celebration, but sometimes it’s a reminder.  For six years my mom probably waited for me to call or send a card.  Her prayer for repentance continued but sometimes, in the wilderness, it’s hard to keep praying.
 
Mothers give their heart away knowing it could be broken.  They do it because of their love for their children.  The ransomed in Christ shall return.  If they were His, they are still His.  Moms – never stop praying for your kids.  The desert and parched land will be glad you lifted your hearts to the Lord.
 
 Hope for Restoration 
It’s hard to keep things alive in the desert.  There are certain plants that work well in this area and some that don’t stand a chance unless you have millions of dollars for a water bill.  We have two red yuccas in our front yard.  They’ve sprouted minimal new blossoms the last few years and we were worried they were on their last leg.  Someone told us to clip down the dead stalks before the spring. 
 
Did you know that overwatering a red yucca can be fatal to the plant.  Their root will rot, and they will die.  We want the Lord to take us away from the desert.  Stop the struggle and heartache.  But, just like this red yucca, the desert teaches us that all we need is a steady supply of Living Water and our dead stalks pruned.  We can’t grow if we keep feeding the dead things in our lives.
 
There is Hope for restoration in Christ.  No one or no thing is too far gone for God to restore.  The ransomed shall return.  Isaiah is a book of new beginnings and Jesus Christ specializes in them.  He is making all things new.  There is joy for the redeemed.  Joy doesn’t come from your current situation.  Joy is knowing that the One who created you also purchased you with the blood of Jesus.  Rejoice and blossom today, friends.  You are created to make a difference wherever you are… even if it’s in the desert.
 
May hope abound today.
Soli Deo Gloria!
F –