Wilderness Like Eden

Introduction

      It was a few months ago that God placed a desire in my heart to write a devotional specifically for those in the wilderness. Valleys can be dark places of pain, fear, and loneliness. We often need someone to shine light on the promises of God, reminding us that He is still faithful and good to us.

      As I thought about how to organize the book, I chose to give you as much freedom in reading it as possible. So there are no designated days, no time frame given in which you should read it. When I was in my dark valley, I needed that kind of freedom in my activities. My emotions tended to be on edge and could spiral at the slightest upset. This is your book. Read it as you need to. If you miss a few days, that’s ok. No need to feel obligated to read several just to make up for it. If you’re really struggling and need to soak up more than one, please don’t hesitate to do so. There are no rules. I only desire to be a vessel that points you to the truth and steadfastness of the Word of our glorious Lord.

      I don’t know what it is you’re facing today or how long you’ve been on this road. But I do know that my God is always faithful. That theme runs throughout this book. Because it is one thing I needed to be reminded of during my wilderness. These devotions were written as God walked me through the valley, and I absolutely believe He gave them to me for a much greater purpose than only my healing. I believe He gave them to me for you. Because He loves you that much.

Matchless Comforter

“For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.”

Isaiah 51:3

      We have a matchless comforter in our Lord. His ability and His love go far beyond any consolation others can offer. Because He is not only able to give us grace to sustain us and peace in our sorrow, He is working within our circumstances to make them abundant with life and beauty.

      What glorious hope is ours as the children of God that our wilderness is the setting for God to bring about greater splendor and richness than we’ve ever known before. He takes our place of deepest despondency, our greatest moments of despair, and He is faithful to provide exactly what we need. This is what we find when we reach that place of emptiness. And in the midst of that pain, when we lean on Christ and draw near to Him in faith, we find strength and hope in the many promises that are woven throughout Scripture.

      We serve a God who is good to us. He is light, truth, and faithfulness. He is worthy of our praise and more than deserving of our trust. We can’t always see His hand working, but He has proven Himself faithful in the past, and He will do so again. This is not just true on the grand scale of history. It is true for you in your life and in your current circumstances. The God of heaven is unchanging, and His love for you is steadfast. He is working, even in this moment, to transform your desert into a flourishing garden that will take your breath away.

      This passage is such a beautiful picture of the transforming power of our faithful God. He is our comfort and our refuge, and He takes our brokenness and restores us to more beauty than we could have imagined. This is why we can have hope. This is why we can find joy in our darkest moments. This is why we trust that the desert is not the end of our story. Joy and gladness will be found in you. Not springing from a situation that plays out according to plan but flowing from the fountain of grace and peace within a heart that belongs to Christ. This is abundant joy—to know the faithfulness of our God. Wait on the Lord and watch in expectation as He transforms your wilderness to make it like Eden—your desert “like the garden of the Lord.”

I Will Restore

“I will restore to you the years

that the swarming locust has eaten,

the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,

my great army, which I sent among you.

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

and praise the name of the LORD your God,

who has dealt wondrously with you.

And my people shall never again be put to shame.

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,

And that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.

And my people shall never again be put to shame.”

Joel 2:25–27

      Restoration is such a beautiful promise to hold in your heart. As God’s children, we can hold to the hope that He is able to overcome our past, leading us into a future with more joy and satisfaction in Him than we have ever known.

      The sovereignty of God that is highlighted in this passage gives confidence to that hope. Verse 25 says that God will restore the years lost to the locusts, the destroyer, and even the great army “which I sent among you.” God purposed it. He allowed the difficulties, as He did when Satan wanted to test Job and sift Peter. In our Father’s sovereign will and wisdom, He is in control of even the “bad” things. This can cause some to harden their hearts, believing Him to be unfeeling and cruel. Hold fast to faith, believer. Please do not miss the hope and the love that are woven throughout these verses. Because our God is in control of all things, this means that nothing will happen that He does not enable us to handle. He strengthens us for each moment, and He soothes our hurting and distressed hearts when the painful times come. This is when we see His faithfulness and His grace most beautifully displayed in our lives as He fills us with Himself.

      There is a lovely promise kept within verse 26. God has declared that “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.” Joy is coming. There will be a day of complete satisfaction. We will see the hand of the Lord and how He has dealt wondrously with us, always. We can’t see the whole picture yet. When we’re in the fire, it’s difficult to see past the pain and the smoke which clouds our view. At times, all we can do is cling to God’s Word, trusting that He does not fail, and that He always pulls through with His promises. He has promised that you will eat in plenty and be satisfied. You will know beyond any doubt that He is in your midst. He is God and He is with you, and no one and nothing else can ever satisfy or remotely compare with Him. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).