Scripture: Isaiah 43:19 (NRSV)
Key Verse: “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Reflection
Isaiah speaks to a people worn down by disappointment. Their landscape feels barren, and their spirits are tired. Amid that fatigue, God announces something new—not in polished, protected places, but right in the wilderness. Streams in the desert don’t appear because the wilderness has become less wild; they appear because God delights in bringing life to the very places we see as hopeless.
Advent joy often begins in those very cracks—moments when something shifts, even slightly, in a situation we thought was permanently dry. A word of kindness arrives unexpectedly. A possibility we never considered takes shape. A prayer whispered in fatigue lands differently this time, not with certainty but with a renewed sense of possibility. Joy doesn’t erase the desert; it transforms how we walk through it.
The invitation of Advent is not to deny the reality of the wilderness. Instead, it is to remain open enough to notice the small signs of grace. Joy flourishes when we believe that God can bring streams even through what seems like only dust.
Application
Identify a “dry place” in your life and pray for openness: “God, help me perceive the new thing you are doing.”
Writing Prompt
Describe a moment when something surprisingly hopeful emerged from a tough period.
Prayer
Creator of new things, open our perception so we can see the streams you are forming in our deserts. Help joy take root in places we have given up on. Amen.