That Barren Place

That Barren Place…

Good morning,  When life seems to lead us into barren places, today’s verse reminds us that God specializes in bringing unexpected life exactly where we least expect it.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:19

Have you ever stared at your phone’s “memories” feature and felt a pang in your chest? That photo from three years ago popped up on mine this morning. Before everything changed. Before life took that sharp turn, you never saw coming.

We all have these wilderness seasons. The job loss that left you stranded. The relationship that crumbled. The diagnosis changed everything. The moments where you look around and wonder, “How did I end up here?”

But here’s what changes everything: your wilderness isn’t just empty space.

Think about it. Moses spent forty years in desert obscurity before the burning bush. Joseph had a prison cell before a palace. David had caves before a throne. What looked like wasteland was actually where God was preparing something new.

The wilderness may not be the problem. Sometimes, it’s our perception that needs to change.

God’s “new things” rarely announce themselves with fanfare. Like seeds pushing through concrete, they emerge quietly until one day you realize—something has shifted inside you.

That barren place in your life? Underground streams are already flowing there. Even in our deepest pain, God is present—making a way where there seems to be none.

What “new thing” might God be quietly growing in the place that feels most barren right now?

What if God isn’t asking you to find a purpose in the pain but to notice His presence in the middle of it?

God of new beginnings, sometimes, I focus so much on what was or what could be that I miss what You’re doing right now. Forgive me for mistaking Your silence for absence. Open my eyes to see the small sprouts of hope. You’re growing in my wilderness. When I’m tempted to just endure this season, help me engage with it instead. Show me the purpose in this path. Transform my waiting into worship, my confusion into curiosity about what you’re creating. Thank you for making streams in my wasteland places, even when I can’t yet see them flowing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sometimes, when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always

Ed 🙏🏼