“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy...they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.” Isaiah 35:1-2

Do you have a wilderness in your life? A place that feels empty of God and swollen with hardened clay? Is it your leadership? Or your marriage? Or maybe, in pursuit of God’s promises, you lost your way through the endless miles of sand and flint. You are longing for God’s refreshing rain again. This promise is for you. Let it begin to break the silence. Let the shower of his Word begin it’s softening work. “The wilderness will rejoice and bloom. Like the crocus it will burst into bloom.”

If you have hardened your own heart through rebellion and sin, then by all means, repent now. You will be astonished at how wonderful the massaging oil of humility and submission feels. But if it is not you, if the Lord has drawn away for some reason that you have not understood, don’t grow weary. His Word says, you “will see the glory of the Lord!” There is a promise for you still, “the desert will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.” Take heart! The Lord does not withdraw forever.

God’s Word has already gone ahead of you. Pray that Word. Pray that promise. Elijah prayed seven times for the promise to come to pass—as many times as it took. Like a woman in labor, Elijah stuck his head between his knees and cried out. Neither your prayers or your tears are not wasted on God. Baptize the desert with your supplications. They will fertilize the land and it will spring up with joy. See, when it happens, it will happen quickly; it will “burst into bloom…The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs" (v.7).

Tags: prayer, fruit, faithful, wilderness, weary, desert, blossom