He changes:
- RIVERS into a WILDERNESS
- SPRINGS OF WATER into a THIRSTY GROUND
- A FRUITFUL LAND into a SALT WASTE
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
True wickedness is settling for and embracing the temporal instead of the eternal. Let me rephrase that.
True wickedness is settling for and embracing earthy, earthly, temporary things when the God who IS, and is a Rewarder, offers us the eternal, offers us Himself.
True wickedness is not – sexual perversion, divorce, abuse, pornography, violence, war, murder, rape, drug abuse, prostitution, molestation, theft, adultery, greed, gossip, envy,….
These things are wrong. They are evil. They are immoral. Not because society or culture says so. Rather, they result from wickedness. They come from the evil, shallow hearts of men and women who do not give thanks (Romans 1:21) because they do not truly believe that He IS – that He is eternal, creator, holy, magnificent, loving, kind – and a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Those evils result from true wickedness – embracing the temporal instead of the eternal.
So, the outer man, the earthly, temporal man, decays (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). The afflictions of this life are intended to show us the vanity of life under the sun (see Ecclesiates) – the temporal – so we will embrace life in the Son – the eternal. Everything we hold on to, everything we settle for, everything we embrace that is temporal eventually will be shaken so that nothing remains except that which is truly worth holding on to the – the eternal. The goal being that we can with gratitude offer an acceptable – whole-hearted, totally yielded, totally trusting, totally resting in Him and His faithfulness – service to God (Hebrews 12:26).
So we go through life and our rivers become a wilderness. Our springs dry up and become thirsty ground. Our fruitful land becomes a waste land. The soap bubbles in which we take such great delight pop into nothingness. Life under the sun just doesn’t seem to hold any meaning, any joy, any true fulfillment.
Quit holding on to things that don’t last, and fall into the Father’s arms, and be held. He truly loves you. Seek Him, and He will be found by you – He will reward your seeking. You long for meaning, for purpose, for peace, for comfort, for joy, for wealth? Don’t settle for the emptiness of soap bubbles, for the whispiness of cotton candy, for life under the sun. Embrace life by giving thanks to the Father and focusing on the Eternal. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.
Then,
He changes:
- A WILDERNESS into a POOL OF WATER
- A DRY LAND into SPRINGS OF WATER
- And there He makes the hungry to dwell
Is your life being shaken? Are you feeling like you’re in a wilderness? How can I pray for you today?
Oh, the bliss of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. Share on X
click to retweet, and send me a direct message on my Facebook page with your email or Kindle email address, or sign up for e-mail on my blog, and I’ll send you a digital copy of Jean Ellzey’s book – In Him There Is No Darkness. Jean was born blind and crippled. She was my aunt. Her autobiography is inspiring as she tells of the loneliness of a child who cannot see, who cannot run and play with others, and how she chose God as her best friend, for life.
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