Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old; I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
– Isaiah 43
These words are read in many churches around the world today, and they are important to us in the Community of Christ the Healer.
God is revealing something about His character in this prophetic picture: God does not remove the wilderness or the desert from the face of the earth – though they are harsh and challenging environments, but He provides a path through them – safe passage; nourishment and beauty in the middle of the wilderness and the desert.
Neither does He remove the hardships, trials and suffering from our lives – but He provides a path through them; safe passage, nourishment and beauty in the middle of the things we go through. Sometimes we can appreciate it at the time, sometimes only in the rear-view mirror.
Us actually using the path, which is Jesus, is not automatic, but it is a constant; Jesus is God’s eternal presence with us, who Himself is our path through the hardships we encounter, and going through them with His Holy Spirit, we are shaped more into the likeness of Jesus.
In our fellowship we encourage each other to draw more closely to Jesus in both easy times and harder times. Before we pursue and share Jesus’ healing, we draw near to the Healer; Jesus Himself, then from His presence we draw the living water from that river in the desert, and share it with the thirsty earth.
– Anders Litzell, Chaplain, 4 April 2022