Isaiah 51:3-4 (NLT)
“The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. ‘Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations.'”
Today we have words from the prophet Isaiah, describing a day when God will bring restoration to Israel. The state of affairs is bleak: a dry, barren wilderness. This imagery is often used in the Bible before God brings victory or gives a spiritual mission. Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus all had desert experiences before entering into a new mission. Jesus prayed with blood dripping as sweat just before his arrest and the greatest spiritual victory of all time.
Isaiah tells of a time when Eden will return. God’s original plan for humanity will get a second chance. We will dwell in God’s garden once again. God’s justice will reign and songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. This vivid imagery is a description of our true home. We will be invited back to live in God’s garden.
There are some comforts that remind us of home: the smell of pie, a hug from a loved one, the feeling of belonging and safety. Songs of thanksgiving permeate the air in God’s home. As followers of Jesus, we are citizens of Heaven. We belong in a place where worship music is uplifting us constantly. And we don’t have to wait — we can bring the sounds of Heaven into our homes even now by playing worship music on our phones, televisions, and speakers. We can hum our own tunes of thanksgiving. May you be filled with the songs of home today.