Emphasis Preaching Journal

One of the most amazing ironies of nature is the blooming desert. The desert is a dry and barren land with little or no annual rainfall. When it does rain, the evaporation rate is so high that the rain can evaporate before it hits the ground, and that which does reach the ground is quickly absorbed. It is a miracle that anything grows in the desert. But the desert is filled with plants, many of which grow only when the conditions are right. These plants produce seeds that lay dormant in the soil for many years awaiting proper growing conditions. When those conditions arrive, the plants spring up over night and the desert is awash with color. In fact, the most arid and harsh places can be the most colorful after a rainfall, which is the case with Death Valley and the northern Gulf coast of northern Baja, California.

The blooms and the flowers have a short life span. The heat and wind soon burn them up, and the desert returns to its dry and barren condition.

Isaiah promises that the day of the Lord will be a day when the desert will bloom. That must mean the Messiah will bring a most welcome rain.