{"id":11099,"date":"2015-06-03T07:06:20","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T12:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/?p=11099"},"modified":"2023-03-16T20:11:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T01:11:00","slug":"in-the-word-on-wednesday-isaiah-4118","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/2015\/06\/03\/in-the-word-on-wednesday-isaiah-4118\/","title":{"rendered":"Word on Wednesday: Isaiah 41:18"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My husband served in the Army Medical Reserves for many years.<\/p>\n

When full-time Army docs were deployed to Iraq, medical reservists were activated stateside to fill in for them while they were overseas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That explains why our-family-of-twelve-at-the-time spent four months squeezed into a 500 sq. ft. apartment in the bachelor barracks at Fort Bliss during the summer of 2006 while my husband worked at William Beaumont Army Medical Center.<\/p>\n

When we first moved to El Paso that June, it was just as hot and dry and dusty as you’d expect a dessert to be<\/strong>. Nothing but tumbleweeds and cactus and dirt devils for as far as the eye could see.<\/p>\n

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– JUNE 2006 –<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But in July, it started raining. In fact, El Paso got more rain that summer than it had seen since the 1800’s <\/strong>— so much so that the Rio Grande overran its banks.<\/p>\n

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– JULY 2006 –<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And all that water caused something truly amazing to happen: The dessert bloomed<\/strong>. Those bare, brown mountains looked like gigantic chia pets sprung to life.<\/p>\n

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– JULY 2006 –<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Everywhere we turned, we saw mound upon mound of yellow lantana blossoms and purple sage<\/strong>. Back on base, we even spotted several plush, green lawns of grass.<\/p>\n

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– AUGUST 2006 –<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a beautiful transformation<\/strong>, and reminds me of Isaiah 41:18<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.” (Isaiah 41:18)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The wonderful thing is that God’s power is not limited to rejuvenating parched places<\/em> — He is able to transform parched souls and wasted lives, as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you feel dry? barren? desolate? Try praying for rain.<\/p>\n

Ask God to shower you with His grace and mercy, to fill the cup that is empty and gathering dust, to wash you and flow through you and overrun your banks. Ask Him to so transform you from the inside out that people who know you will marvel at the change<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This week’s verse can be found in the third set<\/a> of our Scripture Memory Flashcards:<\/p>\n

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[click on image to print]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/p>\n

And for extra practice on Isaiah 41:18 (and other passages), I’ve made more handwriting printables, as well:<\/p>\n

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[click on image to print]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/p>\n

Plus, in case you missed them, here are links to the first two sets of flashcards and practice sheets, too:<\/p>\n