"'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'"
41:15-20
"'Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, and will make the hills like chaff. You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, and the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the Lord, you will glory in the Holy One of Israel. The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water. I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress, that they may see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well, that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.'"
I like this passage for a couple of reasons. First, that God chooses us and in so doing, chooses to be intimately invested in us, holding us up with His righteousness.
Secondly, I love the part where He tells us that we get to "pulverize" the mountains in our path! He's equipping us and instructing us to move ahead, no matter what we're up against...it will turn to chaff before us and the wind will carry it away!
Lastly, the striking visual of the last half impacted me: God says that as we go through a wilderness season, even there He has put a luscious landscape for us! Rivers, springs, pools, fountains, cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, juniper, box tree, and cypress...I don't know about you, but that sounds like a beautiful place to me! God doesn't intend to teleport us out of the desert places of life, but He has provided strength, joy, beauty, provision, rest, and refreshment in the midst of it.
Be encouraged, my friend! If you are feeling alone, know that God has chosen you and taken a personal interest in strengthening, helping, and upholding you! If you are eyeballing a mountain obstacle, know that God intends for you to pulverize it and watch it blow away! If you find yourself in the middle of a wilderness, know that God has already established the rivers and planted the beautiful desert trees for your strength and refreshing along the way!
It is yours in Christ....receive it!
Be blessed!
Sarah
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