The Land that was Desolate is Become like the Garden of Eden
And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited (Ezekiel 36:35 KJV)
The scripture often uses the figure of farmland, garden or even trees as symbolic for God’s people in general or our individual lives. For example, when the Lord speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, the figurative language here is that you are a tree, and with the right care, you can bear fruit. Similarly, the parable of the Sower that sowed seeds on his farm is a figurative language for us as the people of God or individuals who as farmlands receive the seed of the Word of God and produce fruit.
The scripture above uses this same figure to give us a remarkable truth about our lives. It says the “land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden.” Think of a piece of land that is desolate. No inhabitants, waste, full of ruins and rubbish, a hiding place for wild animals, etc. This is a picture of someone’s life. Imagine a life full of misery, sin, bondage, addictions, emotional hurts, bitterness or the loss of every will to live, to name but a few. There is nothing other than desolation for the man or woman whose lives is outside of God. The same is true when we are already in God but live outside of His will and incur for ourselves troubles our tiny little heart cannot even bear. But He gives us hope.
He says the desolate land has become like the Garden of Eden, beautiful, well-watered, green and flourishing! God is an expert in turning desolate lands to beautiful gardens. People are hurting, from all kinds of ailments. If Governments had a pill to treat the brokenness of people’s hearts, that might be the most crucial pill of all time. As a minister and a physician, I think the problem of broken hearts in our society today is already a public health emergency. People are hurting. Beautiful smiles sometimes cover these hurts.
The truth is no natural therapy can completely heal the disturbing problem of broken hearts. What do you do with a woman that has been sexually molested since her teenage years? Or what do you do with the molester to repair such evil in the heart of a man? What do you do to a husband who ruins the life of his wife of 25 years and 5 children through adultery with a mistress? How do you heal the deep-seated hurts of such a wife? I can continue. There are a few things we can try, but there is no medication or therapy session that can heal broken hearts as the Word of God. Our Father God specializes in turning lives that are desolate into beautiful gardens. There is no need for suicide because the Father has come to help us. Open your hearts to Him, and allow His Word to penetrate your being and bring beauty out of the ashes of your past.
MEDITATE
What part of your life is in desolation?
APPLY THE WORD
Would you allow the Lord to turn the desolation of your life into the Garden of Eden? Israel tried to convince herself in Ezekiel 37 that their bones were too true and there was, therefore, no hope. This is a lie you should not believe. There is nothing as a hopeless situation with God if you will allow Him access to your life. Yes, if a man or woman is in desolation and runs away from God, there is truly no hope for that individual except for the fact that they are still alive. He never turns any away. Run to the Father with the desolations of your life, not from Him, even when you blew it—again! Do not make Satan rejoice when He sees you run away from God, knowing you are running away from life to death. Our Father is our Hope!
PRAY
Thank the Lord for His great love and mercy towards us.
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