Hastings: The blooming desert

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom.” — Isaiah 35:1 New Revised Standard Version

When the prophet Isaiah called exiled people back to their original values and purpose, he offered pictures of how people might see themselves and their homeland after their vision was renewed and their purpose restored. He pictured people who’d lost their vision as the parched sands of the desert which stretched between the exiles and their homeland. And he portrayed people with renewed vision like a blooming desert.

Isaiah’s vision of a blooming desert came to mind as I read a recent story about reclaiming desert land by planting trees and building greenhouses for growing nutritious food throughout the year in areas where drought and famine had become the norm. I also think of Isaiah’s vision when I see vibrant blooms emerging from seemingly dead-looking cacti.

Isaiah’s vision spoke to the exiles — especially the most vulnerable in their midst. He said those with feeble knees would walk, the lame would leap, the blind would see and the deaf would hear. Barren deserts would become fertile lands, parched ground would become a pool. Springs of water with grass and reeds would emerge in the wilderness. And redeemed people would walk on a highway for God, “the Holy Way,” where they would enjoy peace and safety. For those who walk this highway, sorrow and pain would give way to joy and gladness.

Isaiah’s vision of a blooming desert is not a la-la land dream to make suffering people feel good. The desert is already blooming — for those who have eyes to see it.

The Rev. Celia M. Hastings has a master's degree in religions education from Western Theological Seminary in Holland. She is author of “The Wisdom Series” and “The Undertaker’s Wife.”

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hastings: The blooming desert