“The desert shall rejoice”, and so shall I!

That’s a fitting description of how we find Israel in Isaiah chapter 35. Holy wrath had been poured down in a terrifying measure in the previous chapter- not upon Israel alone, but on a global scale. The apocalyptic description in chapter 34 leaves one feeling that there is no hope. We almost pity at the waste, and wonder at God’s plan to tear up and turn lands into desolate and depopulated confusion.

Sin and rebellion had demanded reckoning. “The day of the LORD’s vengeance” (Isaiah 34:8) had come and gone, leaving carnage. Pathetic mankind had attempted to stand up against the Almighty, and His righteous fury had abased them to nothing.

That’s the context. Yet, after the emptiness of chapter 34 comes that glimmer of hope that we struggled to foresee - for in the very opening verse of chapter 35 rings a peculiar but beautiful promise: “the desert shall rejoice”.

It delights my heart to look to the future and know that the destruction of the Tribulation period will not be the end for this poor earth! The Lord has a goal to restore! There will be great reversal, recompense, and redemption in a coming day.

Even presently, “creation groaneth and travaileth” (Romans 8:22) and although we know for a period it will get far worse, thank God a new day will dawn upon the face of this globe. “Weeping endureth for the night, but joy cometh in the morning”! (Psalm 30:5)

The last place you expect to find life, let alone any joy, would be the wilderness and solitary place. And yet “the desert shall rejoice”!

I’m comforted when I apply this to my own experience.

Christian service is marked by disappointment, inadequacy, weariness and, if we’re honest, heartbreak.

We look helplessly at the pieces of our short-lived efforts that we can’t manage to rearrange. We cringe at the wreckage our immaturity has done. We focus on the little we have done in return for what God has done, and steep in the guilt of this. We bemoan the stench caused by unchecked sin in our lives. At times we try to cope by reminding ourselves “we aren’t perfect” and “we still have the flesh” and “sure we’re saved, that’s all that matters!”, but it leaves the likes of me unsatisfied, empty, and apathetic towards life. In result, my hands have sunk, my knees are feeble, and my eyesight is dim. My ears are closed, my legs are unenergised, and my tongue has stammered (Isaiah 35:3-5).

Ah, but “the desert SHALL rejoice”! The Word of God promises restoration, even to the silent and inanimate grains of sand! Can that be possible?

It can. For Christ said that if humanity doesn’t praise Him, the very stones would cry out! When the Creator suffered at Calvary, the very rocks rent! The sun hid its blaze! A lifeless curtain tore itself in two!

The Psalmist said that the floods can clap their hands! The hills can skip! The mountains can melt!

What is the stimulus? What catalyst can set seemingly lifeless nature in motion?

Nothing else but the greatness of the glory of the LORD. In essence, Christ.

Can my heart then respond in such a way?

Though broken, depleted, and vacant, can I simply soak in the wonder of His goodness and allow His excellency to flood my soul?

Christ is Lord, even in the wilderness. The fact that He has been in the same place that I am is the consolation I need. His life has also known sorrow and sighing. His heart has also felt agony and affliction. His experience has also faced dust and death. The difference is that He never deserved it. And yet He willingly acquainted Himself with my grief, and is “touched with the feeling of my infirmity” (Hebrews 4:15).

And so, His presence alongside me can blossom vibrant praise, even in the isolation. His assurance “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5) can lift my heart, even when fearful. His grace can be my strength, even in my weakness. Thoughts of Him can flood and quench my soul, even though I’m cracked and parched. The anticipation of His return, and eventual reign can inspire songs and everlasting joy, even in sorrow.

The desert shall rejoice, and so shall I!