Hard times are coming for the people of Judah; but they will not last forever, and when the days of exile are over, “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).

The imagery Isaiah uses for this return from exile focuses on the homeward-bound road coming through the wilderness: “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing” (35:1-2). Those who were maimed will be restored (35:5-6) as they make their way along the highway (35:8), while “the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water” (35:7).

In the midst of this comes the admonition to be strong and steady: “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees” (35:3). Eight centuries later the book of Hebrews would quote this as a Christian admonition, along with allusions to the straight path and the healing of the lame (Hebrews 12:12-13).

It’s an admonition we need in every century: in Isaiah’s own time as well as when the people of Judah were returning from their time in Babylon, and for the first century church under persecution, and for the twenty-first century as well. We have never been as strong of soul as we thought we were. Somehow that reality keeps catching us by surprise. But there it is: we continually find ourselves in situations that are not like things used to be, and our souls feel dry and barren. But Isaiah knew this: it might be a long trip through the desert, yet God will bring us home.

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Our hands are indeed weak, O Lord, and our knees are feeble; we need your grace to become steadfast once again. Restore us, we pray, so that we can make our way home from the exile of our souls, and find our joy and gladness in you every step along the road.

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