June 1 Evening Devotional | Deserts Into Gardens | Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Evening, June 1 | “Her wilderness He will make like Eden.” —Isaiah 51:3 (NASB)

This Evening's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6 (NASB)

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
And to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her waste places.
And her wilderness He will make like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.
“Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My nation;
For a law will go forth from Me,
And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.
My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My arms will judge the peoples;
The coastlands will wait for Me,
And for My arm they will wait expectantly.
Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the sky will vanish like smoke,
And the earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not wane.

Devotional Video Transcript:

It seems to me I see in vision a howling wilderness, a great and terrible desert, like the Sahara. I perceive nothing in it to relieve the eye. All around I am wearied with a vision of hot and arid sand, strewn with ten thousand bleaching skeletons of wretched men who have expired in anguish, having lost their way in the pitiless waste. What an appalling sight! How horrible! A sea of sand without a bound and without an oasis, a cheerless graveyard for a forlorn race!

But look and wonder! All of a sudden, upspringing from the scorching sand I see a plant of renown; and as it grows it buds, the bud expands — it is a rose, and at its side, a lily bows its modest head; and, miracle of miracles, as the fragrance of those flowers is diffused, the wilderness is transformed into a fruitful field, and all around it blossoms exceedingly like the glory of Lebanon, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. Call it not Sahara, call it Paradise. Do not speak of it any longer as the valley of death, for where the skeletons lay bleaching in the sun, a resurrection is proclaimed, and up spring the dead, a mighty army, full of life immortal. Jesus is that plant of renown, and his presence makes all things new.

The wonder is no less in each individual’s salvation. I can see you, dear one, cast out, an infant, unswathed, unwashed, defiled with your own blood, left to be food for beasts of prey. But look, a jewel has been thrown into your bosom by a divine hand, and for its sake, you have been pitied and tended by divine providence. You are washed and cleansed from your defilement, you are adopted into heaven’s family, the fair seal of love is upon your forehead, and the ring of faithfulness is on your hand. You are now a prince unto God, though once an orphan and a castaway. O prize exceedingly the matchless power and grace that changes deserts into gardens and makes the barren heart sing for joy.

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Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening is a classic daily devotional that has been inspiring Christians for over 150 years. It is a collection of 732 meditations on Scripture, one for each morning and evening of the year. Spurgeon's writing is known for its clarity, insight, and wit, and his devotionals are full of practical wisdom and encouragement.

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Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

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