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REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Comfort even for the desert” Comfort is the pleasant and satisfying feeling of being physically or mentally free from pain and suffering. A desert is a dry, barren area of land, especially one covered with sand, that is characteristically desolate, waterless, and without vegetation. Comfort even for the desert means that the desert will experience life and vegetation and will no longer be dry and barren. The theme is a metaphorical phrase which means “…with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) We shall reflect on the fact that irrespective of how barren and unproductive we become like a desert God’s presence and grace give comfort and life to our desert situation.

Beloved in the Lord, no condition is permanent, God is able to make fertile the desert. Being in exile or captivity is a situation of hopelessness and barrenness that can be likened to living in a desert. This was the condition of the Israelites when God spoke through Prophet Isaiah to reassure them that “The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah 51:3). Dear friend you may have made some bad decisions in the past that have turned your life into a desert. All hope seems to be lost and you have no one to turn to. Like the Israelites, we are encouraged to “look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. (Isaiah 51:2) Again, like the prodigal son whose life turned into a desert after he left his father and led a wayward life, many of us are estranged from God and having it tough in our desert situation. Today, God is assuring us that He will comfort us and will look with compassion on our desert situation just as He did for the Israelites who were in exile in Babylon. We must be willing to say with the prodigal son in Luke 15:21 ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son (daughter).’ Then the Lord will respond to our wretched and desert situation with these comforting words from Isaiah, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. (Isaiah 51:6). Dear child of God, like the father of the prodigal son, God is merciful to those who repent and come to Him. James admonished us to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:7-10) He is willing to transform our desert situation into a life of joy and fulfilment to the glory of His name.

In summary, we have discovered that irrespective of how barren and unproductive we become like a desert because of our disobedience, God’s presence and grace give comfort and life to our desert situation.

PRAYER

May the power of the Holy Spirit transform our desert situation even as we surrender all onto Jesus our Lord and Saviour and may our faith in God cause us to experience joy and restoration in our desert situation.