“Strengthen the weak hands . . .”

I’ve been so thankful for Isaiah 35 lately.



The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;

the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;

it shall blossom abundantly

and rejoice with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord,

the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who have an anxious heart,

“Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

He will come and save you.”

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.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

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.

And a highway shall be there,

and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;

the unclean shall not pass over it.

It shall belong to those who walk on the way;

even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

No lion shall be there,

nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

they shall not be found there,

but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain gladness and joy,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


2 thoughts on ““Strengthen the weak hands . . .”

  1. Wright mentioned this passage in The Challenge of Jesus. I read through that part today, making it the third or fourth time in the last week or so that I’ve seen it.

  2. While I’m sure I’d read that passage before, it didn’t become gain the meaning that it now has for me until recently (when I read it as part of my study of Matthew).

    I had the GAP class read it in its entirety several weeks ago, before we launched into our Matthew passage.

    Challenge of Jesus is a good one. I remember Jared turning on the rest of the Htown based founding Thinklings to that one – if memory serves, he gave it to each of us as a present at one of the long-ago original Christmas moots. Good times . . .

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