Streams in the Wastelands

Wasteland is a land that is uncultivated or barren; it is an area that is devastated, as by flood, storm, or war. It is something, as a period of history, phase of existence, or locality, that is spiritually or intellectually barren.

Sounds so negative. Like an ugly situation.
But God!

Forget the former things;
Do not dwell on the past.
See, I AM doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (New International Version)

Other translations say desert, wilderness, dry land or in a desolate place. So God is telling us that in THAT place, He is going to make a river. In THAT place, He is going to make a path. In THAT place, He is going to make a way. And I don’t know HOW, WHERE, WHEN, OR WITH WHO but what I do know is that in THIS PLACE, He will bless me.

It is just how He does it! Hmm, maybe my situation isn’t ugly enough!!!! LOL

It is like He is almost waiting until all hell breaks loose so He can conquer! He is waiting for this stuff to all hit the fan at once. He is waiting until the end of the rope. He is waiting until it gets worse. He is waiting until it seems like all else has failed, BUT GOD….

Genesis 29 shows how God blessed an ugly, desolate and barren situation. Leah was weak. The bible says that she was plain. That she had no sparkle. Or that we assume even more because Rachel was beautiful, must mean that Leah was ugly.

Not so.

She was just DIFFERENT!!!! Everything about her was different. Her purpose was different. Her life was different. Thank God that He moves through the weak. He enables us to conceive, to grow and to be fruitful in a situation as “ugly” as this.

All I see now is…. “and she conceived. She conceived again. And she conceived. And she conceived again.” Until she got to 7 children, each representing a nation and an inheritance. God really made a stream here. He made a path. He opened and paved the way from a desolate place to a spacious and blessed place.

How does your situation look?
Empty? Dull? Hopeless? Impossible? Fruitless? Frustrating? Broke?

GREAT! Because in that very place, is the starting point for the new thing to be the greatest victory of your life. Can you at least perceive that?

Everywhere I go, He sends me this message. That key is in my hand and so I am not letting go of it. Not now. Not ever.