Need Hope?

On the tails of a long day, I come to Him with tired eyes and a nearly empty self. I crawl into the corner of the Bible that has the comfort of a fire-side, overstuffed armchair. It comforts me: I crawl into Isaiah 35.  

 

Isaiah 35

Joy of the Redeemed

 ¹ The desert and the parched land will be glad;
   the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom;
   it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
   the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
   the splendor of our God.

 ³ Strengthen the feeble hands,
   steady the knees that give way;

⁴ say to those with fearful hearts,

   “Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

   he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

   he will come to save you.”

 ⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

   and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,

   and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

   and streams in the desert.

⁷ The burning sand will become a pool,
   the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the haunts where jackals once lay,

   grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

 ⁸ And a highway will be there;

   it will be called the Way of Holiness;

   it will be for those who walk on that Way.

The unclean will not journey on it;

   wicked fools will not go about on it.

⁹ No lion will be there,

   nor any ravenous beast;

   they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,

 ¹⁰ and those the LORD has rescued will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

   everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,
   and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

If I close my eyes I can almost imagine how wonderful that moment will be, when we, His redeemed, will be overtaken with joy and gladness. I have had a few glimpses on earth: the moment my newborns were first placed in my arms, a sparkling ring slid onto my finger with a promise-- but these glimpses pale to that moment when I will be swept off my feet and carried into His presence. What better hope to cling to than this promise of gladness and joy everlasting-- when all sorrow and sighing will flee away? 

                                                                                                                                      JOY