1The wilderness and the dry land will be glad.
The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.
2It will blossom abundantly,
and rejoice even with joy and singing.
Lebanon’s glory will be given to it,
the excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see Yahweh’s glory,
the excellence of our God.
3Strengthen the weak hands,
and make the feeble knees firm.
4Tell those who have a fearful heart, “Be strong!
Don’t be afraid!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance, God’s retribution.
He will come and save you.
5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6Then the lame man will leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute will sing;
for waters will break out in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert.
7The burning sand will become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water.
Grass with reeds and rushes will be in the habitation of jackals, where they lay.
8A highway will be there, a road,
and it will be called “The Holy Way”.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
but it will be for those who walk in the Way.
Wicked fools shall not go there.
9No lion will be there,
nor will any ravenous animal go up on it.
They will not be found there;
but the redeemed will walk there.
10Then Yahweh’s ransomed ones will return,
and come with singing to Zion;
and everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
There is No Other
John's Disciples Sent to Jesus
Do you ever wonder if Christianity is just a big fable? Is it just all made up in our heads? Have you ever had doubts that Jesus really is the Son of God and that He really came to save the world from self and sin? If you have, you are not alone. When Jesus appeared in Israel, probably no one had a closer relationship with God than John the Baptist. He was living out in the wild, calling all men to repentance, and they were coming! For 400 years, the words “Thus saith the Lord” had not been said in Israel. And now, people were listening. God was speaking, and He was speaking through this Elijah-esque character named John. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness to make the path to the Lord once again straight. Despite all this spiritual movement, John didn’t have the Holy Spirit living within him. He wasn’t really sure if Jesus was the Messiah. He sent a couple of his disciples to ask the hard question, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”
When word came back to John of the miracles which Jesus was doing, John knew in his heart that this Jesus, this Yeshua, was the promised Messiah of Israel. When he heard that Jesus made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to leap, and the mute to talk, John knew that the Messiah had come. This is because John the Baptist knew the word of God. John had read Isaiah’s words. “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.6 Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing; for waters will break out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:5-6 WEB)
When doubt creeps into your own heart, reflect on what Jesus said and what He promised. Think about how He has changed your heart. You may take your eyes off Him from time to time, but you’ll always turn back and look. You will always wonder. And, if you ask Him to show Himself to you, He will. Oh, I can’t tell you how it will all happen, but it will. It happens in all kinds of ways, too many to list here. But if you pray, and if you seek, you will find Him once again. John tells us about a turning point that occurred in the lives of the twelve disciples. 66 At this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. 67 Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You don’t also want to go away, do you?”68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:66-69 WEB) Friend, don’t walk away.