Four years ago the following verse was given to me on a piece of scrap paper while on a weekend retreat.
“ I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 NLT
I was going through a very difficult time of grief after my husband passed away. The life I once knew was gone; I was now trying to discover my new “normal”.
I have been a desert dweller for most of my life. My family moved from Wisconsin to Phoenix when I was 9 years old. I remember arriving in the desert in our family car with no a/c in the middle of August. It sure felt like we had moved into a hot, dry wilderness. Over the years I have grown to love my desert home and I find it very beautiful, especially in spring. There is a promise of new life during this time of year that always reminds me of Gods great love for us. The same desert can also be hot, dry and weary. The plants that were once so green in spring become dry and brittle in the summer. The sorrow, suffering and pain of grief made me feel dry and brittle.
Many days I felt so many emotions all at once; other days I just felt numb…mostly I was questioning why the loss had happened and how I would ever get through this grief. This had been my experience for almost a year up until the weekend retreat. I had gone there looking for hope and I found it. Or perhaps God led me there so I would finally be focused on Him. I was able to hear His word for me through the bible verse that was shared with me that day. My thoughts were focused on me and how I could somehow “fix” myself. But instead God wanted me to see His plans.
Have you ever been in a place of loss or suffering where you cannot see any way out? Have you wondered what God is up to in the midst of your suffering? Don’t you wish you could peel back the curtains of heaven and see what’s going on during a difficult time in your life? I sure have! I decided to believe the words that were written carefully on the paper! As I read and reread God’s words, they became a part of my healing process. That day was life changing for me! I had hope again that somehow God’s good plan was still in place for me and if I chose to believe His word, He would fulfill His promise. What I found was that God’s word is alive and it is the truth no matter what I believe or how I feel. I have seen it in action…just as the bible says ““For the word of God is alive and active”
Hebrews 4:12a NIV I now see the new thing God has been doing in and through me and my precious daughters. I can see the pathway through our wilderness and the rivers in the dry wasteland. We may be living in the desert but we are thriving once again. God is so faithful!
How about you? Are you in the midst of grief or suffering or difficulty? Let me pass on to you what was given to me…it may take time and a decision to believe Gods word over and over again. But God can make a dry desert place of suffering and pain flow with His blessings of life again! Choose to believe Him at His word.
Linda Hopkins
Love never fails!!
Linda,
You have handled the wilderness well.
This screams hope!
Love this. We always need to remember that during those times in the wilderness, when you feel alone, Jesus is with you always. He never leaves you alone.