Blogging through the Scriptures: Encouragement (Part 1): Week 5, Day 3

I am so glad you have come back for today's study! Read through Isaiah 35:1-10 slowly, and absorb the feeling of joy that comes from this text of Scripture.

This Scripture passage is talking about a time when the Lord will come back for His people. At that time, even the desert will bloom and be glad! The glory of the Lord will be seen in the land.

We may feel feeble and exhausted in this present world, but do not get weary. Isaiah 35:4 tells us to, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with a vengeance!" God is coming back! He will save us! Rejoice, be glad, and wait for the glory of the Lord.

When the Lord does come back, miraculous things will happen. You listed these things in your notebook, and we are going to review them today.

the eyes of the blind will be opened
the ears of the deaf will be unstopped
the lame will leap like a deer
the tongue of the mute will shout for joy
the waters will break forth in the wilderness
the scorched land will become a pool
the thirsty ground will have springs

All of the bad that is on the earth will go away. All of the trials and tribulations that we face, whether big or small, will go away, and the Lord will be glorified. What an amazing time that will be!

Review verse 8. This verse talks about the Highway of Holiness. Only those who walk in the way of holiness can walk on this highway. So who, exactly, are those who can walk on the Highway of Holiness? Isaiah 4:3 says that everyone who is recorded for new life in Jerusalem will be called holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says that the Holy One has called us, and we are to be holy in our behavior because He is holy in His. As Christians, we are called holy. We are also to act holy, just as God is holy. He has a place for us on His Highway of Holiness, praise Him, hallelujah! But, as Christians, we need to make sure that our behavior reflects the Holy One who saved us. Remember as we have studies previously, we are known by our fruits.

So if Christians - those who are called holy, those who are set apart by God - are allowed to walk on the Highway of Holiness, who is not allowed to walk there? The unclean, the fools, the lions, the viscous beasts. There is no in between with God. Either you are holy and set apart, or you aren't. I hope that you have made the personal decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, so that you can experience your eternal future with Him, and you can feel the abounding joy that comes from Him alone. If you haven't done this, please contact me, or another Christian that you trust. We want to lead you to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Verses 9 and 10 go into more detail about the holy ones allowed on the highway. The two terms used to describe Christians in this passage are Redeemed and Ransomed. What glorious words to describe us! We are Redeemed, meaning that we are reclaimed as Christ's! We once were lost to sin and death, but we are now found to new life in Him. We are Ransomed, meaning bought with a price. Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross. He paid our penalty. Romans 6:23 says, "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." When Jesus died on the cross, He said, "It is finished." This means, "paid in full." We are ransomed by Jesus to new life in Christ. And because of our new life, we are called holy, and we get to walk on the Highway of Holiness in eternity.

Not only will we walk on the Highway, we will do so with joy and gladness. We will never have sorrow or sighing again, once the Lord comes to take us into eternity with Him.

What a glorious thing that we have to look forward to! Keeping with what we have already learned, while we are here on earth, God will always be with us. When we go to heaven, we will have nothing but exceedingly great joy. What comforting words! You may be experiencing sorrow and sighing now, but you won't always. Wait on the Lord, my sisters. Wait on Him, be faithful to Him, and be holy in all your ways. The Lord is with you in the present, and the future is glorious!