Isaiah 43:19-21 Refreshing Water in the Dry Lands
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (NIV).
The water in the picture is not a stream, nor a river. It is a lake formed behind a dam in northern Arizona. It certainly looks like a wasteland, and the water of the lake is definitely refreshing. Wild animals drink from it, cities receive both water and hydroelectric power from it, and many boating enthusiasts enjoy the joy of riding on its waters. It is a great refreshment for the area.
God provided water in the wilderness for His people, and the animals rejoiced because they also received benefit from God’s provision. We often don’t take notice of the tangential effects of God’s blessings upon His people. When God blesses His church by growing His love in them, the entire community is blessed. I don’t know if that could be called tangential blessing, but when the church grows in God’s love and shares that with the community, the entire community is blessed. That’s how churches grow, and that’s how God’s kingdom is intended to grow. We are the “streams in the wasteland.” You may well be the only stream of God’s love in your workplace, your local community, or even your family, and as such, you could be the bright spot in the day for many people. You may be providing the “tangential effect” of God’s love. That’s what God trains us to be and do. It may be uncomfortable. It may even be dangerous, but rewards are waiting in heaven for those who are faithful to the calling God has given each of us. Let’s be the “streams in the wasteland.”