When disappointment comes, it’s as if somehow our lives are shut down, and the streams of our lives back up like water behind a dam.
It’s as if we’re stuck in this bitter, putrid, festering, muddy pool of frustration, self-pity and doubt. Its as if our lives have been inunundated.
This is not life as God intended it for us. His word says that he has come to give us life, and life in abundance. He doesn’t want us moping around by the festering pools of our life, without hope and without God active in our lives. He wants to get the streams flowing again.
Flooded fields are not productive fields. In fact, when the flooded water gets stagnant it grows toxic bacteria which can kill the ability for the fields to produce anything, even once the floods have gone. In order for the fields to be productive again, there is a plowing process which must take place, but more about that later.
God wants to open the floodgates of our lives which have caused the blockage, the areas which have allowed disappointment to take over. But even when the floodgates are opened, the floods persist sometimes. Why is that?
The reason is that there is much sludge and silt which has backed up behind the floodgates, so that even though they’re open the putrid, stagnant, foul, bitter waters remain. The gates are stopped up with the sludge and various other (indeterminate) junk.
OK, I’m speaking rhetorically here. What do I mean?
To recap: there are two processes that need to take place, to get rid of the backed up junk and putrifying flood water. First, there is an opening: the floodgates have to be opened. Then there is an unstopping which must take place.
In Isaiah, we read “Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”
The opening of the floodgates represents the opening of our eyes: we are able to see, we’re able to assess the damage, realize we’ve been subject to flood, realize that there is something we can do about it, and see the Lord before us, the blood of Jesus, the price He paid for our redemption so we don’t have to wallow in the floods of disappointment, bogged down in our lives.
Secondly, our ears are unstopped. We’re not only able to see, we can hear from God what it is that we need to do to get ourselves out of the muck. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Jesus opens the eyes of the blind (ours) and the ears of the deaf (ours) so that the backed up filthy floodwaters can subside, hope is restored, and the festering disappointment gives way to the fruitful fields of God’s plan for our lives.
Remember, he knows the plans he has for us, and they really are to prosper and not to harm us. Whatever the devil has meant for evil, God meant for good.
As the eyes of our heart are opened, we are able to say, with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I praise him”.
Then as we begin to praise him, our ears are unstopped, and we hear Jesus rejoice over us with singing.
He truly does delight in us, he is already saying “Well done, good and faithful servant”. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were still a long way off, the father has seen us and is running with open arms.
He has come to change your name. No longer desolate, now your name is delight. The joy of the Lord, his joy over you is your strength.
The LORD has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:
“Say to the Daughter of Zion,
‘See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.’ ”
12 They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the LORD;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.
Recompense and restoration are coming. A marriage, a restoration is coming, and is now here as you look to him.
