Someone recently asked me where the name of my blog originated. “From Isaiah”, I replied. And then realized that I couldn’t remember exactly where in Isaiah or even the context of the phrase. The passage meant a lot to me a couple of years ago and I decided if I ever had a blog it would be called “Streams in the Desert” and then promptly forgot why. Funny because at the time, I remember being so struck by the image of streams flowing through the desert. I remember thinking of the life-giving properties of water bringing hydration and nourishment to parched vegetation. I remember thinking of water’s erosive power, steadily rubbing away raw edges of land, cutting pathways through hard rocks and rough sand. I remember thinking of the pristine beauty of water, sparkling with sunlight, rippling and carrying leaves along in the dancing current. What a picture of God does in our hearts, how he brings life from death, how he slowly transforms us to be like Christ, he frees to enter other’s lives.

So, I went back and found the passage. It’s specifically from the latter part of Isaiah 43 but I’d recommend reading the entire passage (Isaiah 43-44:5). What a picture of God’s unchanging character, his enduring reign and glory, his passionate love for his people, his zeal for bringing his Kingdom to a broken world. What a picture of our idolatry, spiritual blindness, and wandering hearts. I find my heart slipping quickly into dwelling on external uncertainty around me instead of remembering God’s faithfulness – past, present, and future. I keep thinking my faith is so small but I have been reminded so often recently that my hope is not in the strength of my faith but in the object of my faith, Christ. In Him, I surely can sing this final verse of the hymn “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”:
Yes, I to the end shall endure,
As sure as the earnest is given;
More happy, but not more secure,
The glorified spirits in heaven.

I moved out of my apartment in Orlando last weekend and am living at my parent’s house until I leave for Birmingham. I continue to be amazed and encouraged by the generosity of God’s people. Here are a few things I would appreciate prayer for right now:


▪ Support-raising. I currently need about $8,000 more in order to move. Please pray that God would be working in people’s hearts as I connect with individuals and share what God is doing and why I have a heart to join into his work among college students. Please pray that I would trust Him to provide as I ask.

▪ Moving. My new room mates will already have started grad school when I arrive. Please pray that we would still find time to get to know each other and grow together.

▪ Birmingham Southern College. Freshmen will move into dorms on August 23rd, so in the next few weeks the girls I’ll meet are packing and preparing to start college. Please pray for them and for our relationships.

Thank you so much for your prayers and words of encouragement. I look forward to keeping you updated in the next few weeks as I prepare to leave. For now, drink of our King’s promises:

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
The wild beasts will honor me, the jackels and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.” Isaiah 43:19-21