https://odb.org/2026/05/22/smiley-face
Isaiah 41:17–20 (NIV): 17 “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 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.
19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together,
20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Those who drive along Highway 18 in western Oregon each fall are greeted with a delightful surprise from the tree-covered hillside flanking the road: a giant smiley face. The cheerful face is only visible in the autumn when the Larch tree needles turn yellow, contrasting with the surrounding, dark green Douglas fir trees (which create the eyes and mouth). A lumber company planted the three-hundred-foot-diameter face in 2011 as part of an effort to replenish the timber they’d harvested.
Isaiah invites us to know God as the one who brings life to desolate places. He reminded the Israelites during the barrenness of their captivity that God “[makes] rivers flow,” can “turn the desert into pools of water,” and grow “the cedar and the acacia” in the desert (Isaiah 41:18-19). (Kristen Holmberg, Our Daily Bread 22nd May 2026)
It’s an important spiritual principle to remember and apply that God brings life to desolate places. Sometimes we feel our spiritual life is dry and empty. That we are fruitless. We feel we may have lost that joy in the Lord, that spark in God. Not that we have wavered from the narrow path. We are still serving God faithfully. We are stll actively involved in ministry. It’s just that our spiritual life has become boring and predictable and we feel at times that we are now doing things because of the expectations of others. More duty than love for God or compassion for the body of Christ or for the lost souls.
How do we overcome this dryness in our spiritual life? Not by creating excitement of our own, through our own efforts. But rather looking to Him in prayer as He is the God who brings life to desolate places. He is the God that gives breath to the bones at the valley of dry bones (see Ezekial 37).
Invest time in prayer. Pray for others, pray for the needs we can see within our sphere of influence. People close to us, our loved ones and family, our cell group members, our congregation, our friends. As we pray with compassion and love, I believe Jesus will re-light the fire within us, to burn strong again with joy and vigour.
Also spend time reading His Word. Perhaps in the weekend, spend time researching certain topics that interest us. Dwell deeper into the Word. Maybe we want to focus on Isaiah or Daniel or Hosea. Read the history and the context. Or maybe we want to explore the first exile of the Israelites by the Assyrians that resulted in the lost ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel? Or we want to know more about Haggai and Zechariah and how the Persian King Darius helped the return of those in Judah after the Babylonian exile? As we learn more, we gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of God and in the process we will reignite the spark in our spiritual life. Always remember that it is the LORD who brings life to desolate places!
Have a good break at the weekend, everyone!
Ronnie's Thoughts 