Isaiah 35:1-10: But God

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast;  they will not be found there. 

But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away - Isaiah 35:1-10

Every investment vehicle I have ever heard of always comes with a disclaimer: past performance is no guarantee of future returns. That is: just because some investment did really well in the past doesn't mean they will do well in the future. Just because the football player did well before doesn't mean that he will do well on his new team. But there is a tiny voice inside us that says, "But, that's the way to bet."

But I will replace that tiny voice with the voice of Isaiah here: "Never bet against God." There is no comeback story like the one that God organizes. Lifeless wastelands will, tomorrow, be home to carpeting the desert floor with blooms. Crippled hands, unstable legs, sightless eyes, soundless ears and fearful hearts will make an amazing recovery. Dry, scorching landscapes will foster streams and pastures. 

But God. Failures. But God. God rewrites the story-a story trending towards the bad news segment on the evening news-he rewrites the story as a success, full of the rescued and redeemed, singing and dancing, like the ending to some Bollywood epic. Can I accept that my story was a dumpster fire without God? Can I rejoice in God's greatness, beyond my own good fortune?