Isaiah 35

“Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come ...” (35:4). When God comes, declared Isaiah, “the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus ... the eyes of the blind will be opened” (35:1,5). Israel lived by faith in these words, and the Messiah came, opening the Way of God’s great salvation (v8), bringing hope and new life, declaring “the kingdom of God is here!”

The promised “streams in the desert” (v6) already flow in the hearts of those who trust in Him. We look forward to the day when “sorrow and sighing will flee away,” knowing that Jesus, the firstfruits of the Resurrection, will return to make all things new.