A Quiet Yes in the Desert
Dry. Barren. Stagnant. Dusty. Dark. Hardened. Cracked.
Words that you might use to describe an old city alleyway behind the dumpsters. Or perhaps the crevices between the seat cushions in your family van. Three year olds don’t always mind the smells.
But some of those words might also describe places in our heart.
Isaiah paints us a powerful image of a desert, a landscape metaphor we can easily picture. Dry. Empty. Seemingly hopeless. And yet, God sees that barrenness and offers a promise: streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18, 19)
Pastor Jay described wastelands as areas that have become dry and barren because of neglect; land that hasn’t been cared for by a human. Even the soil of our soul that has been left untended might be a wasteland.
When we begin to recognize wastelands within ourselves, we can look to Jesus as our source of renewal. He is “living water” (John 4). A stream that can come to desert places. But it does not take a flood to change a desert. Sometimes a small drop of water brings just enough life for one seed to awaken. New life can spring up where there had been none.
The problem, though, is not always the absence of water, but the presence of a dam. Some dams we build intentionally, protecting tender places in our soul. Others form quietly through pain, neglect, disappointment, or rejection. Over time, we may not even realize they are there, only that the soil of our soul feels dry.
But moving water has power. Whether it rushes like a stream or falls as a steady drip drip drip, water carries energy. Given enough time, even a slow drip can wear down the strongest stone or the hardest steel. Not through force, but through steady faithfulness. That slow drip reshapes what once looked permanent and unchangeable. And can break through the barriers.
Jesus works this way in our own wastelands. The barren places we may have closed off for survival can become fertile again. Like those desert places, a few drops of rain can stir a little life. A tiny seed that had been just waiting remembers its purpose.
Jesus wants to come into the wastelands of our heart. He even knows the places we avoid because the work feels overwhelming. If we can squeak out even the tiniest “Yes” to Him, He can begin the drip. A quiet nudge toward forgiveness. A small act of surrender. A few extra moments dwelling in His presence. Over time, that steady flow will become a stream in your desert, breaking down dams of resistance, allowing refreshing, living water to pour through where a wasteland once ruled.
Reflection Questions:
• What places in my heart feel dry, neglected, or closed off right now, and how have I learned to survive there instead of inviting Jesus in?
• Are there any dams I have built, intentionally or unintentionally, that are keeping God’s life from flowing freely, such as unforgiveness, fear, or disappointment?
• What is one small “yes” I can offer Jesus today that might begin the slow, faithful drip of renewal in my wasteland?
