Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19

Some months ago I watched my husband plant a dead tree and I wondered if he was okay.

It was a tree that had been uprooted by men working in our backyard. It had stayed disconnected from the soil for too long that the leaves died and the trunk was dry.

I assumed we were going to get rid of the dead tree. But my husband had other plans.

One day, I watched him dig a hole into the ground, add some compost to it then he took that tree, that very dead tree and stuck it into the manured ground.

He also connected an irrigation water system to water the tree automatically at set intervals.

While I watched my husband plant the tree I wanted to ask him why he was planting a dead tree but for some reason I held my tongue.

Weeks and weeks passed by and the tree looked the same: dry with no sign of life.

Then the other day I noticed something, a plant had started to grow out of that dead tree. And it looked green and lush. I was amazed.

But it reminded me of an important lesson: new life can grow out of dead situations.

No matter how dead a situation is, it can be revived with the right nourishment, tender loving care and patience.

No matter how dead a marriage is, new life can come out of it. No matter how dead a career is, new life can come out of it. No matter how dead relationships are, new life can come out of them.

Where do you need new life? Is it in your day to day activities? Is it in your parenting? Is it in how you spend your time?

I need new life in many areas of my life. And I am encouraged that no matter how hopeless a situation seems to me, I can choose to see it differently. I can see it as an opportunity for new life.

By reading and applying God’s word which is our spiritual food and by exercising patience and trusting God’s timing, we can enjoy the newness of life that God can bring out of anything.

He is the God who brings dried bones back to life. (Ezekiel 37:1-14) Trust what God can do. New life will grow out of dead places.

This is what God says,
    the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
    who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
    they lie down and then can’t get up;
    they’re snuffed out like so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
    don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
    It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
    rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
    —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
    rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
    the people I made especially for myself,
    a people custom-made to praise me.

Isaiah 43:16-21, MSG