Roads and Streams Where Needed

Isaiah 43:19                          Roads and Streams Where Needed

“I have put roads in deserts, streams in thirsty lands” (CEV).

As desert dwellers, we can perhaps appreciate this verse better than others.  My wife and I have driven on a road in the deserts of Nevada that is the flattest road and land that I have ever seen.  It is also one of the most desolate places I have experienced.  There are no plants or almost no plants in sight to either horizon.  The land is so flat and desolate that it doesn’t matter if your car wanders off the pavement, except that you might not get to your desired destination.  It’s a featureless plain that appears to have no driving hazards.  The insidious and always-present danger of this road is the non-ending boredom of driving it.  This stretch of road needs some hills, some turns, and especially, some water.

Thanks be to God that He has provided a more interesting life for us.  Living the life of a Christian is the opposite of the land described in the previous paragraph.  The reading of the Word provides new insight almost every time I read a passage.  The Bible has been written by many different authors from many different places and also at many different times.  But the message throughout is central and unchanging.  The love and care God has for us, the ones He created for fellowship, shows up everywhere.  It is intriguing to discover how God shows His love in the creation in Genesis, in the poetry so beautifully written in the center of the Word, to the salvation He presents to us in the Gospels, to the end of His amazing book, Revelation, where He draws to himself all who will accept His love.

Fellowship with our Lord is interesting and exciting because even though He does describe life on this earth from creation to eternity with Him, He doesn’t show us what might happen tomorrow.  Along with the physical streams created by Him long ago, He has given us spiritual streams to carry us and nurture us all the way through our lives.  Enjoyment is always present for us when we interact with others who have accepted Jesus.  And, to top it off, He has given each of us a job or jobs to do.  My boss created the entire universe, and He knows me, He knows what I do, and He provides guidance and help whenever I request it.  Thank God that I don’t live on a featureless plain with nothing to do but indulge my desires.  God has provided a fantastic planet, amazing spiritual wonders, and He has given me the privilege of living on this planet, experiencing the wonders of His love along with other children of His.   Praise be to God!