Re-Creation in Barren Places
A devotional for Thursday
Scripture
Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the parched ground will become a pool, and the thirsty land, springs. In the haunt of jackals, in their lairs, there will be grass, reeds, and papyrus.
Isaiah 35:6–7
Reflection
Happiness is fragile. It disappears when life feels empty or unproductive. Joy, on the other hand, springs up where God is creating something new. Isaiah paints a picture of water breaking through dry ground and life returning to abandoned places. What once belonged to desolation becomes a place of abundance. This is not human improvement; it is divine re-creation. God does not simply repair broken things. He makes them new. Joy flows from trusting His power to transform even the most unlikely places. The way of humanity often leaves destruction in its wake, but God’s way brings renewal. He restores what seems beyond hope. Joy grows when we recognize that God is not finished with us or our circumstances. Even places marked by pain or loss can become spaces of new life. Happiness looks for relief; joy trusts God’s redemptive work. God’s re-creation always points back to His goodness and faithfulness.
Question / Challenge
What barren place in your life do you need to trust God to renew instead of abandoning?