December 14, 2025 Grounded & Growing: Wilderness of Despair to Flourishing of Joy | Isaiah 41:17-20; Psalm 126; Luke 1:46-55

Today we will reflect on Isaiah 41:17–20, Psalm 126, Luke 1:46–55, From Wilderness of Despair to the Flourishing of Joy. Isaiah talks about the living nature of water, of how it can restore us, and how it brings life in even deserts. All through Scripture, nourishing rain and rivers serve as a picture for spiritual nourishment that God gives to quench our thirsty souls, bringing joy. In the passages next week, it is the poor and needy, those who are weeping, the lowly, and the hungry who are given this gift, while those who have lots already end up with nothing. We ask ‘why’ and Isaiah tells us, “So all may see and know” and testify, “The Lord has done great things.” This points us ahead to Jesus’ return when the world will be set to right and those who experience need will flourish.

Transcript

From the Wilderness of Despair to the Flourishing of Joy

Isaiah 41:17–20; Psalm 126; Luke 1:46–55

Isaiah 41 is found in the final section of Isaiah and is focused on the return of Israel back to their homes after the exile ends after 70 years of being slaves in Babylon. They’re not home yet, but their exile’s coming to an end in the near future and Isaiah writes to give them hope and strength. This passage is about encouragement to people who have mostly been born in exile with the stories from their parents and grandparents of how wonderful home is, but for most of them, these are only stories. Isaiah’s writing to encourage them to not give up on their faith in God. He acknowledges that it’s hard, mentioning the poor and needy and their search for water, for refreshment, for life. The Lord promises to answer them, not forsake them.

The feeling Isaiah’s addressing here is despair. Despair feels like misery, a desolation of the soul, hopelessness, dejection and a lack of meaning or purpose in life. These are all long-term feelings that have settles into the soul, shaping how they see their future in negative dreary ways with no relief in sight. It’s not only Israel who’s feeling this way; these feelings are a reality for many people today. There are those who have grown up in hard families, abusive even, where they never or seldom experienced love or kindness. Having been foster parents for many years, Joyce and I had a number of children who felt this way come into our home. There are those who live in perpetual poverty who see no hope or relief in sight, there are those who live on the streets, some for many years who have lost hope of ever having a place to call home, there are those who are refugees who want to return home, but sense that they never will. Despair leads to distance from others and from God, making it difficult to experience the presence and peace of God; to experience joy. Despair is found in every age. 

When you’re struggling to just get by and you feel no one sees you, the images here in Isaiah become so real: barren heights, deserts, and parched ground reflect what’s in your heart and soul. You pray for relief, for something to change, or for someone to show up who sees you, who offers hope. Israel’s praying God will show up, and here through Isaiah God does, offering these words of hope, “I will make rivers flow on the barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn deserts into pools of water, and parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” These passages this morning point to God’s presence and blessings, taking away our despair and bringing us to joy and deeper trust in God. 

The change that happens in a desert place is amazing if you’ve never seen it before. A place that is dry and parched, showing little signs of life can be transformed into a place filled with life and new growth as soon as rain comes. When we look at these images, it’s easy to see why Jesus offers us living water and calls us to allow streams of living water to flow from us into our world, John 7:37–39, “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” With the coming of new life from the living water through the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves able to move from despair to joy, leading us to confess with Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…for the Mighty One has done great things for me.” 

Jesus connects the living water to the presence of the Holy Spirit.  This was not a new insight, Isaiah connects water and the Spirit in 44:3, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Throughout Scripture, nourishing rain and rivers also serve as a picture of spiritual nourishment given to satisfy our thirsty souls. In Isaiah, the gift of water leads to the incredible spread of numerous types of trees—trees where you wouldn’t expect to see them, a true flourishing out of lifelessness or despair. In Isaiah, this water that gives life is not for just anyone, it’s especially meant for the poor and needy, those who are weeping, the lowly, and the hungry. This may seem unfair, but this is so that “people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” As the people find new life, find hope again, find joy, it’s not found in what they can do for themselves, it’s found in the work of a God of mercy who cares for the humble, the hungry and who will lift them up over the proud and rich. 

Joy is a mark of God’s people. Joy is closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy’s more a state of being than an emotion; a result of choice. One of the fruits of the spirit. Having joy is part of the experience of being a Christian. We have the Gospel, good news for all people, news of forgiveness and grace, news that our sin is covered by Jesus; this should lead to joy. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit, given to us as a gift of God’s presence within us. Trevor Hudson, a pastor from South Africa writes about seeing the joy in Dallas Willard’s faith. Someone told him he had a gloomy faith; he writes about seeking out the source of joy and went and reread the Gospels in order to find the joyous God that Willard talked about. Hudson was struck by how happy Jesus was. “He lived with a strong vibrant sense of the goodness of his father, the creator of the world. He seemed to have had the capacity of living fully in the present, giving his attention to the task in front of him, celebrating the presence of God here and now. He enjoyed parties, sharing meal, hugging children. He loved those around him fiercely and passionately. To cap it off, after explaining to his disciples how he would be the vine and they the branches, constantly drawing life from him, he said, “These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) 

Black gospel music and spirituals are focused on salvation, hope, and resilience; bringing comfort and inspiration to those who listen to their music. This music comes out of the African American slave community that sought the hope and joy of the Gospel rather than allowing despair to shape their souls and faith. Even in the midst of often great suffering, the slaves kept their eyes on Jesus and on a God who saves; who leads his people out of slavery into freedom, even if it’s not in our lifetime. This is why in Advent we not only look back to Jesus’ birth, but also ahead to his return when we’ll all be free from the chains that hold us in despair, whether it’s physical, spiritual, mental, or emotional illness, addiction, broken relationships, poverty, or repetitive sinful behaviours that we just can’t break free from, or any other chain that holds us down. 

What does joy look like in your life? Can others see Jesus’ joy in you? Do you find joy in being part of this body of Christ, do you live out Jesus’ joy in worship, in serving, in sharing your faith, with the people in your life? Do you find yourself more critical and focused on sin and judgment, or on Jesus’ love for you? Are you able to receive forgiveness and grace and offer forgiveness and grace to others? Do you choose joy? Are you strongly connected to Jesus as the source of your life and being?

Our joy comes from knowing that Jesus will return; there’ll be no more suffering. Isaiah prophesizes of the restored people of God, entering into Zion with a crown of everlasting joy: Isaiah 35:10, “and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” And Isaiah 55:12, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” The indescribable joy of believers is possible because as we wait for Jesus’ return, we know that we’ve received the salvation of our souls.

Moving from despair to a joy that blooms with new life is rooted in trusting that God’s working for our good and deeply cares about us; choosing to believe in his promises to fill us with his living water in the Spirit. This Advent, rejoice in the Spirit’s work, grateful for all the good we see around us, rejoicing in expectation of the day when the world will be made right again, and those who experience need will flourish, joining in the happiness of the psalmist and Mary confessing, “the Lord has done great things.”