.:*Rachel's Rectory Ramblings!*:.: The third part in a trilogy of three!!!!!!!!

Welcome

Hi! Welcome to my blog. I am brand new to this so hope you will encourage me in my new pursuit of blogging by posting a comment to help me keep going. I think this is all going to be a bit of a journey so hope you might find something that will interest you. I have long had dreams of having something in print and this seems like the best way to go about it...and it's free!!
The only writing I have ever really done is a shopping list every now and again and I always manage to lose that on route to the supermarket so it's never done me much good.

So, here's to blogging and here's to maybe making a few new friends through it.

Rachel.

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

The third part in a trilogy of three!!!!!!!!

Isaiah 35: 1-end.

" The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom."

Colour,texture, vibrancy, LIFE. All these things burst forth in this wonderful passage from Isaiah. It is a feast for the senses and is filled with hope.

And this message of hope and wonder comes to us from..the wilderness. God promises to bring life into the wilderness and do something new and amazing.

This is God, our God, who brings hope out of despair, order out of chaos, life out death, as He ultimately did through His Son, Jesus.

I love the fact that the huge and wonderful story of God's love for us is shown so often through the lives of individuals who faced their own wilderness times.
We thought of Elijah,seeing the glory of God on the mountain of Horeb. But think too of Abraham, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Hosea and Jesus Himself as He hung on the cross for us. All experiencing wilderness times and feeling cut off from God.

And yet God was faithful. He showed His love to them and His committment and brought them through bleak and difficult times.And He promises to do that for us...to be with us in our wilderness and to bring us through.

The rivers of water in this passage speak ofJesus who offers us the Water of Life that cleanses, refreshes and revives us. And the Way of Holiness...Jesus, who is The Way. This is our God, the God who is on our side, who rescues us and delivers us and gives us strength for today and hope for the future, the promise of life the promise and of His presence.

1) Can you identify any times in your life when God has brought rivers of life to the dryness of your life?
2) Do you need to know God's refreshing now? Ask Him to help you and believe that He will.
3) Read Isaiah 43: 5. Allow God to speak to you through it.
4) Do you know anyone who needs you to walk through the wilderness with them? How can you do this?

Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you cleanse and revive me through the Living Water that your Son freely offers me.Thank you for the hope you bring me.For being with me in the wilderness and for never leaving me, I praise and thank you. Amen.