Freshies

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”  Isaiah 55:12 NIV

For many of us, the mountains are home even when we are on unfamiliar peaks. Nature reminds us of an almighty and majestic God who is vast, yet knows us by name. We explore the mountains with unbridled curiosity, expecting to be amazed.

In chapter 55 of Isaiah, the prophet writes about spiritual riches that are available to us on our journey with Jesus. We can expect to experience purpose, joy, peace, and a desire to rejoice in the Lord. Later in Galatians 5:22-23 Paul writes out a full list of things we can expect when we choose to follow Jesus. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such there is no law.

Sometimes our lives don’t seem to resemble what Isaiah describes with the mountains singing and the trees clapping their hands as we walk. We struggle to see Holy Spirit fruit. The prophet tells us how to get to this point of joy. He calls us to repent of old familiar sinful ways and seek the Lord.

It reminds me of days on the mountain when powder is hard to find. You have to leave familiar, comfortable runs, go through rocks, trees, and unexplored terrain to seek out the sweet goodness of freshies. We are called to do the same in the Bible, God’s word. Just as we thirst for powder and hunt for it, we need to thirst for God’s word to be in our lives.

The picture of mountains singing and trees clapping before us is describing what happens when the word of God enters our lives and waters our thirsty souls so that the Holy Spirit fruit can grow. God’s word will accomplish its purpose in our lives when we seek it out, whether we are on a mountain peak or in a valley low. This can be our daily lives when we drop in and make first tracks into the Bible.