“Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
for our God!
Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!” (Isaiah 40:1-5 NLT)
I saw this passage from a devotional book and thought that if it spoke to me, it might speak to you, too.
Let go! As you climb from desert to mountaintop, from the place of your undoing to the place of victory and refreshing breezes, let it all go. With each step you take, leave behind the pain. Forsake the right to be angry. Refuse the self-pity. You’re becoming stronger. You’re beginning to remember who you are.
You weren’t created to remain in the desert. Seasons change, and it’s important to recognize when they do. If you shut your eyes and grit your teeth thinking things will never be different, you’ll miss the beautiful journey to the mountaintops. Open your eyes. Look where he’s led you. Your suffering has made you beautiful because you tucked yourself securely in his love. You are standing in the place of victory, so let your shouts of celebration be heard!
Father, don’t let me get stuck in a mindset of hopelessness or discouragement. Don’t allow me to wallow in the murky waters of defeat. Lead me to the mountains of joy and refreshing as we walk through the archways of trust. Here in your love, I’m becoming stronger, realizing you’ve never left my side. AMEN.
From The Vision written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez