Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Healing, Restoration and Everlasting Joy

Bible Reading: Isaiah  35:1-10

Key verse:  

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads (Isaiah 35:10)

DEVOTION

Isaiah 35 offers a vivid promise of renewal, portraying God's restoration of those weary from life's wilderness—spiritual drought, emotional fatigue, and moral collapse. Desert symbolizes these barren conditions, and it is precisely in such emptiness that divine mercy begins to bloom. God brings beauty and hope to desolate places—streams in deserts and flowers in wastelands. His promise of renewal reaches all who trust Him, even amid life’s driest circumstances.
Promises of Healing:  God’s healing power restores the weary and heavy laden of their physical  ailments, calming our fears, and turning desolate lives and nations into flourishing ones. It prophetically points to the restorative work of Jesus centuries before his birth (Isaiah 35:3-5)
The Highway of Holiness: God’s restoration is a journey of holiness. Holiness is achieved not by miracles instantly, it is a lifelong process, a pilgrimage to the Mountain of God for eternal communion with God. As members of the church and community we are called to walk in holiness, in response to God’s grace that saved us. As Christ restores us, in the Spirit we must continue to restore others. The whole chapter is an assurance of restoration and the joy of the redeemed.

PRAYER

 Gracious Lord, we thank you for your mercy to restore us from barrenness to beauty, gladness and joy. Amen!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 God restores, heals, and leads us to everlasting joy. 
 

Dr. P. V. Cherian, Ph. D. 
Chicago Mar Thoma Church,  Des Plains, Illinois.

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