Vibrant: A Life of AbundanceSample

So often, in our attempt to live a life that honors God and produces winsome fruit, we feel alone. We think no one notices our righteous choices. The prophet Isaiah knew that God’s people would need encouragement in their quest to honor God. In Isaiah 51, he offered words of hope that still resonate today. 

The beauty of this Scripture is so stirring that it causes my heart to ache with inexpressible hope. We serve the God of all comfort, who takes pleasure in comforting His people. When you are in a barren or dry season in life, He comes to you—not to accuse or condemn, but to comfort you. He comes to whisper reassuring words in your ears and to place His loving arms around you. He wipes away your tears and heals the broken places in you.

What you suppose is a season of waste in your life, He can turn into a lush and prolific garden filled with delicious fruit and exotic flowers. He can take the driest, most arid season of your entire life and turn it into a place where you and He fellowship together intimately. His garden is not only beautiful, it is also the place of sweet companionship with your Savior.

When the children of God were delivered from the bondage of the Egyptians, they were on their way to God’s Promised Land. However, because they murmured and complained, they spent forty long years in the scorching heat of the wilderness. Even there, God’s children received complete provision. You can rest assured that the wilderness can be a place of growth and a place to learn trust and even contentment.

You may think that you are forgotten in the wilderness and are withered in the desert, but when He arrives, so does joy. In His presence “is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11); you don’t get Him without joy and you don’t get joy without Him. The climate of your life is revolutionized and transformed by His presence and the gladness that He brings with Him. In the desert of your life, the sound is lyrical and symphonic. The song that He gives drowns out the howling winds of misfortune and the echoing growls of the gathering beasts. He gives a perpetual melody that is not silenced by pain, by storms, or by threats. His melody prevails in you!