Rivers in the Desert

"Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." 

 Isaiah 43:18-19

In May of 1988 my heart felt like a desert.  I was on a plane, headed for home after seeing my mother who was dying of cancer.  For years I had tried to control my own life without any thought of what God wanted.  Now, like the Prodigal Son, I realized my pathetic state.  I felt parched; in need of the Living Stream.  Right there on the plane I repented of my sins -- of refusing to do things God' s way -- and surrendered to the Lord.  I let Him take the reigns of my heart.  He refreshed my soul with the water of mercy and began to do "something new" in my life. Forgiven prodigals often feel guilt that comes from squandered years.  Such guilt doesn’t come from God.  Once we repent and confess our sins to Him, He forgives us and remembers our sins no more.  They are "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12).   God wants us to forget the past and praise Him for the new thing He is doing.  Instead of wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, we can turn to Him and experience His "rivers in the desert."