We can be like a desert wasteland crying out for God to refresh us

Published: March 20, 2004

By Betsy Wiederkehr Huss

At my mother’s parish during Lent, the holy water we normally would bless ourselves with is replaced with dry sand. Invariably, I dip my fingertips into the bowl expecting water. But what I encounter is gritty, dry sand. I am reminded of the bleak “desert” time of Lent and look forward to the “new life” promises of Easter. Can you see them?

We are midway through Lent and I am drawn to some verses in Isaiah that paint a picture of a very parched, drought-ridden desert. Have you ever felt like your life or spiritual life was held captive in such a place? The verses continue with the Lord sharing that he is going to do something new and rivers will eventually flow through this dry, parched land. Now, that is good news!

The verses to which I refer are in Isaiah 43. Different Bible translations use various subtitles when outlining this chapter. The New International version titles verses 1-13 with “Israel’s Only Savior” and verses 14-28 with “God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness.” The New Century version titles verses 16-28 with “God Will Save His People Again,” and the New American Bible’s heading for Isaiah 43:1–44:5 is “Promises of Redemption and Restoration.”

In Isaiah, God’s people are literally being held captive by the Babylonians. He promises to destroy Babylon and liberate his people. Even though they are unfaithful, he chooses to be merciful to them again and brings about another exodus, from Babylon this time. Do you see the recurring theme? God’s people are held captive and God, who is faithful, will show mercy, redeem and restore, and save his people again.

That has drawn me to meditate on these Scriptures during this penitential season of Lent. In the New American Bible, Isaiah 43:18 states, “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not.” This refers to the previous verses where the captives are reminded of the Exodus from Egypt.

Basically, God is saying don’t dwell on just this past event because he is going to do some great, new thing for them (Isaiah 43:19). He even asks if they see this new thing happening already. Isaiah 43:19 concludes, “In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.” Take time to visualize this desert wasteland. Cracked earth. Limited vegetation. Wind blown. Lifeless.

Yet, when the rainy season comes the wadi or dry brooks become like rivers. With the heavy rains come a cleansing, harsh at times, and a renewal of the desert’s life. Can you see it? At times our lives are dry, parched even, because we too are held captive by sin. We need God’s living water (John 4:7-14), holy water, to cleanse us, to renew our own desert wastelands and cause new growth in us.

We need God’s mercy and redemption. We too need to be restored. In the New Testament, the great, new thing God does is send his son, Jesus, to us. Then, God allows Jesus to die a brutal death on a cross because of our sinfulness and the separation it causes with him. But Jesus does not stay in the tomb! He resurrects from the dead and we can be reconciled to God!

And then, God sends the Holy Spirit to us. Because of all this, we are new creations (2 Cor 5:14-21). Again, our faithful God has saved his people through mercy, redemption, restoration and love. What good news!

Betsy Wiederkehr Huss has a master’s degree in theology and has been involved in campus and youth ministry for 20 years. She lives in Jonesboro. This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic March 20, 2004. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.