Episode Transcript
CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 35 NIV
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.
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.
Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
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.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
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.
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.
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.
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
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.
CONSIDER THIS
Isaiah’s words in chapter 35 paint a vibrant picture of joy and hope, a vision where life bursts forth from unexpected places, and all of creation sings with gladness. Even the desert and wilderness—the places we might consider barren and lifeless—are caught up in this symphony of renewal:
The wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. (vv. 1b–2a)
This language reminds me of a phenomenon I witnessed once while traveling to California: a superbloom. A superbloom occurs when a unique combination of extremely dry and rainy seasons causes dormant wildflower seeds, built up over time, to germinate and bloom all at once. What was supposed to look like a barren landscape of dark brown and light brown was bursting forth with life and color.
It’s important to note what is happening here: not the obliteration of what is bad and broken, or the dismissal of it, but the transformation of it.
Burning sands—places of pain—become pools of healing.
Thirsty ground—places of longing—become bubbling springs of refreshment.
The haunts where jackals lay—places of death—become places of life.
Joy bursts forth precisely in the places that seem most barren, broken, and in need of it. The text comes with a message of hope regarding these places: They will be renewed and transformed.
Too often, we think redemption means starting over, wiping the slate clean. But biblical redemption is not about obliterating what was broken. It’s about redeeming it, recognizing its potential and believing in the possibility of renewal beyond what is immediately observable.
In Isaiah’s prophecy, it is not the strong or self-sufficient who lead the rejoicing. Instead, joy springs forth from those carrying some level of weakness or need: the fearful, feeble, blind, deaf, lame, and mute.
A highway appears: the Way of Holiness. The highway isn’t for everyone. Only the redeemed will walk there. To be redeemed inherently means having been in need of rescue and restoration. I love the interplay of redemption and holiness here. Holiness is not about perfection, rule-following, or striving. It is about welcoming the transforming grace of God. It’s His redemption that qualifies the redeemed to walk this path
Isaiah prophesies that everlasting joy will crown their heads. Imagine being overtaken by gladness so profound that sorrow and sighing completely vanish.
Revelation 21:5 (ESV) echoes this hope: “Behold, I am making all things new.” Not some things, or most things, but all things. Every place of pain, suffering, grief, and loss will be made new in the age to come. This is the scope of God’s redemptive work: Nothing will be left untouched by it. It is from that reality our joy will burst forth.
RESPONSE PROMPTS
Do you have any places you long for renewal or transformation? What would it look like for you to bring those before God today, trusting that He will make all things new?
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for Your promise that You will make all things new. I look forward to the day in which the places in my life and in the world that seem the most destitute and broken will spring forth with life and joy because of You. Amen.
