Di Desert Go Bloom

Ground wey don crack. Dry stones. No even one grass for miles. And then, as you dey look, one small flower push comot from di dust. Then anoda one. Then one whole carpet of flowers spread across di desert, and you fit almost hear di land dey sing.

Isaiah, di prophet of Jerusalem, just finish to describe terrible judgment on top Edom, di nation for di south-east, wey im land go turn to waste land of thorns and wild animals. Isaiah own people know fear too: di armies of Assyria, and later di danger of exile. Dem know how e be to dry, to weak, and to dey far from home. For Isaiah land, wilderness no dey far at all. If you travel go east or south from Jerusalem, di green hills go quickly change to bare, rocky desert, where rain no dey fall well. And then Isaiah turn di picture upside down. Di desert no go remain desert.

“Di wilderness and di dry land go dey glad. Di desert go rejoice and bloom like rose. E go bloom well-well, and rejoice with joy and singing.” Di desert, wey dey happy. Isaiah call di greenest, finest places wey e know: Lebanon with im big cedar trees, Mount Carmel with im gardens, and di plain of Sharon near di sea. Dem go give di glory of all of dem to di wilderness. And then di reason: “Dem go see di glory of di Lord, di greatness of our God.” Di land dey bloom because God dey come.

So Isaiah turn to di people wey dey feel weak and dey fear. “Make di weak hands strong, and make di knees wey dey shake firm. Tell di people wey fear full dia heart, Make una strong! No fear! See, una God go come.” E go come save una. And when e come, see wetin go happen. “Then di eye of di blind go open, and di ear of di deaf go open. Then di lame man go jump like deer, and di tongue of di dumb go sing.” Imagine person wey never waka before dey jump and skip like young deer. Person wey never talk before suddenly dey sing. Water go burst comot for wilderness, and streams for desert. Di sand wey dey burn go turn to pool.

And through dat land wey dey bloom, one road dey pass. “One highway go dey there, one road, and dem go call am Di Holy Way.” No lion go dey there. No dangerous animal. Even traveller wey no know di way no go lost. Na only di redeemed go waka there, di people wey God don buy back and set free. “Di people wey di Lord ransom go return, and dem go come Zion with singing; and joy wey no get end go dey for dia head. Dem go get gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing go run away.” Sorrow go run comot from dem. Hundreds of years after, John di Baptist dey prison, and e send im followers make dem go ask Jesus: na you be di one wey suppose come? Jesus answer with Isaiah words. Go tell John wetin una dey hear and see. Di blind dey see. Di lame dey waka. Di deaf dey hear.

We know where dem lock John di Baptist. Di Jewish historian Josephus, wey write for di first century, talk say Herod Antipas send John go di fortress of Machaerus, for top one hill east of di Dead Sea. E stand for di dry, rough land of di place wey be Jordan today, and people still fit go see im ruins. From one prison for desert, John hear say Isaiah desert promise dey come true.

Di desert go bloom. Na Isaiah chapter thirty-five be dat. When God come, dry places go flower, weak people go become strong, and im people go waka go home dey sing. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Isaiah talk say, tell di people wey fear full dia heart, make una strong, no fear. Who you fit encourage dis week?