Isaiah 35 (HCSB)
The Ransomed Return to Zion
1 The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.
2 It will blossom abundantly and will also rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands, steady the shaking knees!
4 Say to the cowardly: “Be strong; do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God’s retribution is coming; He will save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 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;
7 the parched ground will become a pool of water, and the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt of jackals, in their lairs, there will be grass, reeds, and papyrus.
8 A road will be there and a way; it will be called the Holy Way. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for the one who walks the path. Even the fool will not go astray.
9 There will be no lion there, and no vicious beast will go up on it; they will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk on it,
10 and the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, crowned with unending joy. Joy and gladness will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 8-9): Father, for far too long and far too frequently, I go astray from Your way. Please forgive me for my frequent rebellion and poor judgment. Help me to always remember that Your Holy Way is better than anything I would ever want to go astray for, Father.
PROMISE (verses 4, 10): You promise us that You’ll return to us, Father, but also that in that return joy and gladness will overcome all sorrowing and sighing because we will be saved by You! Thank You, Father!
ATTITUDE (verse 10): Father, help me to stop lingering in an attitude of sorrow and sighing. Help me to always have a joyful and glad attitude centered and focused on You always. Redeem me and cleanse me of these unrighteous attitudes so that I ma be filled with the fruits of the Spirit, Father.
COMMAND (verses 3-4): This command You repeat so often throughout Scripture, Father, yet I still seem to fail at it far too often. You tell us to “be strong, do not fear!” How simple the command sounds, yet it is oh so difficult for me to embrace. Help me to live more in Your strength and less in my fear, Father.
EXAMPLE (verse 1-4): You give us such an amazing example here of the types of attitudes we should possess. It may be focused on Your return, but it lays the foundation for Your expectations of us. We should be rejoicing with joy and singing for all that You do and all that You are. We should see Your glory, Your splendor, and Your strength and embrace it all so that we may glorify You through that. We are saved by our amazing Lord and Savior!
*DAILY NOTE: Help me to no longer live in fear, Father. Help me to no longer live in a way that dwells on sorrow and sighing. Remind me daily that I must lean on You and the strength, calming, and peace You provide, Father, so that I can get through anything this world may throw at me. Remind me that You are always there in my time of need, Father.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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