|He Will Make Her Wilderness Like Eden|

By Melody Mohnhaupt

"For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he shall comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." (Isaiah 51:3) 

About a year ago, I spoke at a women’s conference and I shared on this verse alone. I asked all the women to replace the word “Zion” in the verse above with their own name. You can try it too! I spoke of how we must believe that God’s word is true. He is more than capable of turning our hardships, failures, and stagnant situations into beautiful, joyous, and overflowing circumstances. 

I encouraged many not to give up and not to be discouraged, because we serve a mighty God. He is our comforter whom will bring us life in the droughts that so often encompass us.

You see, this verse was the cry of my heart. I had experienced much drought in my life and many times found myself hopeless. Through my failures and pains, I discovered the Lord in a new way. Throughout the years I’ve changed little by little, and realized as time went on, I wasn’t in the wilderness anymore. I found rivers of living water! I had felt the times the Lord sent down His spirit like rain, and because of this, I was changed. 

Although, at that point in my life, I would not, yet, have considered myself a garden, I was certain I was no longer the dry desert I once was. That excited me! God was faithful through His love, kindness, and mercy upon me; transforming that wilderness into soft soil and planting one seed after the other. He never gave up on me, even through my mistakes. Instead, He used each circumstance to benefit me. 

Today, a full year after receiving this word that the Lord had given to me, I tell you, I am so much closer to becoming that garden than I was back then. He has gutted out weeds that prevented life from springing forth ! He has flooded me with showers of His grace and favor. He has shined his rays of love down on me! And now I see fruit!!! 

Isaiah 58:11) And the Lord shall guide thee continuously, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters faint not. 12) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

Recently, He has shown me the next step of my journey to becoming like Eden. As I am being transformed and watered, He has called me to provoke and encourage you to allow Him to start or continue that same work that He is doing in me, in you! He wants me to show all the deserts and wildernesses out there that THERE IS HOPE! His name is JESUS! He desires all his children to be baring fruit. GOOD FRUIT! He wants all the world to see that he transforms and makes things beautiful simply to bring him glory! He will continually teach me how to reach out and how to do everything he has anointed me to do.

Isaiah 61:1)The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me gtto bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2)To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3)To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. 4)And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolation of many generations.

As you allow the Lord to transforms you, He will call you up. He will call you out. He will equip you! Fear not, for we are capable! It is not us, but Him working through us because of our willingness and desire to lead others to His glory!

Jeremiah 1:6) Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7) But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8) Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 9) Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10) See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. 

You aren’t a lost cause. You haven’t drifted too far. Your desert and wilderness isn't too desolate for the Lord. He sees a planting ground. He sees so much potential in you! And guess what? Even in your wilderness, He ADORES you! He wants the very best for you! And you know what that is? It’s Him! He wants to begin to pour abundant life into you! Sometimes it’s uncomfortable. Some of those roots and weeds are really stubborn! Sometimes the soil of our hearts has been hardened by hurt. But, allowing Him to work in us is SO WORTH the outcome! 

You can be a testimony! You could say, “I thought I was hopeless, but look what God did in me! Because of my faithfulness to him, now look at what he’s able to do through me!” It’s possible. I speak from experience. The life that radiates from a watered garden is remarkable! The beauty is exquisite and the joy it brings is undeniable! That could be you!

Philippians 1:6) [Be] confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

I say again, there is Hope!