In Isaiah 41:17-20, we read about a captivating promise from God applicable in this moment of famine. It reads: “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, the myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine and the box tree together, that they may see and know, and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
Our attention is drawn to the word pictures contained in these promises. Firstly, the promise is to the ‘poor’ and ‘needy’ who are thirsty. God says he will quench their thirst, not with water, but he “will hear them.” Many hardly receive from God because they are not thirsty.
Secondly, verse 18, speaks of “rivers,” “fountains,” “pools of water” and “springs in a desert.” These are images of sustenance.
Thirdly, in verse 19, God promises to plant trees in the wilderness, myrtle and oil trees, cypress and pine, and the box trees in the desert. Trees represent nations and individuals in the Bible. God is indirectly saying that he will bring nations and peoples together.
Lastly, God says what he will do, will be seen as a miracles, “the hand of the Lord will do it.”
God revealed Himself to Hagar when she was probably at the lowest, loneliest and most frustrating time in her life. She had been used as a pawn and given to Abram by his wife, Sarai, to produce a son (Genesis 16:3). And when she did get pregnant, Abram allowed his wife to mistreat Hagar: “Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her” (v. 6). When she ran away she found herself alone, pregnant and miserable. Amid her desperation in the wilderness, God compassionately sent an angel to speak to her. The angel told her that God had “heard of (her) misery” (v. 11). She responded by saying: “You are the God who sees me” (v. 13). How amazing, amid the wilderness, God saw Hagar and had compassion on her. God sees you, no matter how tough things may be.
Psalm 84:5-7 is another illustration of God’s provision in times of difficulty. The Psalm pictures pilgrims on a journey through the valley of Baca, known as the valley of weeping. Rather than weeping and mourning all through their journey, they convert their pain into springs of water. Their courageous and unyielding attitude made them go from strength to strength. May we not yield to despair, but to have hope irrespective of the difficulties we are facing.
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