Thoughts for the Day

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.
No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The year after we were married my husband was posted to Cyprus, and we lived a few yards from the beach in Famagusta, as it was then called. But after three years I was really longing to get back to England. I loved the sun, the food, the people, and the sea in Cyprus, but I was beginning to long for green grass, rain, the newspaper on the right day, and the autumn colour in the woods.

In the previous chapter Isaiah had been prophesying the calamity that will occur to the people of Israel. This would happen in 587 BCE when the Babylonian Army entered Jerusalem and defeated the Israelites, taking its leaders away into exile. However, in Chapter 35 Isaiah argues that the people should keep their nerve, for God is still with them. He looks forward to a time when the nation having been exiled will return to Jerusalem. Look at the exquisite description above of the land they will inherit and the things they long for, like water and a lack of predators. But especially notice the word "redeemed" near the end of the chapter. Here we get the notion of God's people being bought back from their slavery, though there is no mention of who will pay the penalty.

Today we know we are citizens of Heaven, and just as I longed for my home country all those years ago, though still liked the good things of Cyprus, we too are in the same situation. We are in limbo. Jesus came to initiate this new Kingdom and the blind received their sight, and the lame walked, and his death was the price paid for our freedom, but the Kingdom is not completely here yet. Isaiah's picture is but a taste of what will happen when Christ comes at the end of time to rescue His people. So probably God would say to us today: "Be strong! I am coming to take you home, but in the meantime, keep travelling on the Way!"

Lord Jesus Christ,
keep us strong as day by day
we struggle with the adversities of this world,
endeavouring to listen to our conscience,
and faithfully travel on Your Way.
Let us never forget we are citizens
of Your Kingdom,
and need to continue traveling,
for we cannot spiritually stand still.
Amen.