Passage: Isaiah 35:5-7
The Ransomed Shall Return.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
Journal:
What is the "then" of which Isaiah is referencing? ["Then the eyes of the blind . . . then shall the lame man."] In chapter 32, he wrote that the wilderness would become a fruitful field. In verse 1 of chapter 35, he compared the event to the blooming of the crocus in the desert. Here, in verse 7, he refers to "springs of water" for a "thirsty ground." [". . . the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water . . ."]
The "then" is a glimpse of the coming kingdom of Christ, the fulfillment of His restorative glory. [Acts 3:19-21 -- "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago."] This "then" will take us as believers from our imperfect faith here and now to our perfect rest with Him then and forever. The miracles of Christ in the flesh provided us with a glimpse of the these perfect things to come. ["Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy."] It is our great hope and atonement, brought about by our repentance and His restoration.
Note:
I appreciate all the prayers for my friend Alan, his wife Michelle, and their recently born premature baby Tiffany Grace. Below is the latest update from Alan, and above is a picture of Tiffany Grace.
UPDATE 03/19/08
Little Tiffany had a tough day today. She had failed the hearing tests done with the standard equipment and had a diagnostic hearing test today. Unfortunately, the results are not what we wanted to hear. It appears based on this test that Tiffany has been diagnosed with severe nerve related hearing loss. Structurally, the ears look fine. Her risk factors are limited to the exchange blood transfusion, the anemic stress she underwent in and out of the womb and a potential virus (we will know in next 3-5 days as to whether she had the virus). Lots of unknowns at this point - potential outcomes range from complete recovery to deafness. She will have another more involved test at 3 months of age (2 months from now) - the nerve could improve, her development could cause her to show significant improvement, or the same result. Either way, they will learn a lot more in 2 months as to the diagnosis and treatment options (if needed). No certainty in this test today but it is very concerning. Positive news today also - to rule out other issues, she had to have a thorough eye exam and another head ultrasound - both came back normal with no issues which is great news. Her health is still good and the feeding improvement is main focus otherwise. Nothing to do on ears for 2 months other than lots of interaction with her. As you can imagine, this is emotionally very difficult for Michelle and I. Just lots to get our minds around with the wide range of outcomes possible.
Please pray specifically that Tiffany's hearing will be healed and be normal at the 3 month old exam and that she would continue to grow stronger and take all of her feeding from mom or the bottle. Your prayers have brought her through one crisis and we ask that you continue to pray that God would work another miracle here. When faced with new trials the words from James 1:2-6 come to mind: 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. We really appreciate each and every one of you.
Little Tiffany had a tough day today. She had failed the hearing tests done with the standard equipment and had a diagnostic hearing test today. Unfortunately, the results are not what we wanted to hear. It appears based on this test that Tiffany has been diagnosed with severe nerve related hearing loss. Structurally, the ears look fine. Her risk factors are limited to the exchange blood transfusion, the anemic stress she underwent in and out of the womb and a potential virus (we will know in next 3-5 days as to whether she had the virus). Lots of unknowns at this point - potential outcomes range from complete recovery to deafness. She will have another more involved test at 3 months of age (2 months from now) - the nerve could improve, her development could cause her to show significant improvement, or the same result. Either way, they will learn a lot more in 2 months as to the diagnosis and treatment options (if needed). No certainty in this test today but it is very concerning. Positive news today also - to rule out other issues, she had to have a thorough eye exam and another head ultrasound - both came back normal with no issues which is great news. Her health is still good and the feeding improvement is main focus otherwise. Nothing to do on ears for 2 months other than lots of interaction with her. As you can imagine, this is emotionally very difficult for Michelle and I. Just lots to get our minds around with the wide range of outcomes possible.
Please pray specifically that Tiffany's hearing will be healed and be normal at the 3 month old exam and that she would continue to grow stronger and take all of her feeding from mom or the bottle. Your prayers have brought her through one crisis and we ask that you continue to pray that God would work another miracle here. When faced with new trials the words from James 1:2-6 come to mind: 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. We really appreciate each and every one of you.
