In Mark 6, we are told three times that Jesus spent an entire day teaching thousands of people in "a desert place." Late in the day, His disciples said, "There's nothing to eat in this desert place. Send the people home." But Jesus answered, "You feed them." They said, "With what?" Jesus asked them for what they had, and they gave Him five loaves of bread and two fish. Then Jesus directed them to have the crowd sit down in groups "on the green grass." While the people were tired and hungry, and before Jesus multiplied the food miraculously, God gave them grass in the desert. He made the hard place easier for them. He didn't stop them from going into the desert or keep them from the heat, but He lightened the load.

We all go through desert places in life--problems that should overwhelm us, giants that should defeat us, bad breaks that should make us bitter. But somehow in the midst of these challenges, there's a force sustaining us. We feel strength that we didn't have, courage to keep moving forward, grace to endure. We look back and think, "How did I make it through that loss, that sickness, that difficulty?" It was God giving you grass in the desert, God making the hard places easier. Without His grace, you would have gone under. Without His favor, that sickness would have defeated you. Without Him breathing in your direction, you wouldn't have made it through that breakup. He didn't stop the trouble, but He kept the trouble from stopping you.

I talked to a lady who was in her sixties when she found out that she was going to have to raise three of her grandchildren, all who were under the age of seven. She didn't know how she could possibly do it. I told her what I'm telling you: "You may be in a desert place, facing something that you weren't expecting, but it's not a surprise to God. He has a green pasture that He's already ordained for you. It's going to be easier than you think." Years later, she told me that raising those children was the most rewarding, fulfilling thing she's ever done. She said, "It's been so much easier than I thought. I never dreamed I'd have this much strength to be able to get so much done."

You can flourish in the desert. Right now God is creating grass in your desert place. You can prosper in a pandemic, and you can succeed in a down year. Now don't talk yourself out of it. The Most High God is on your side. He's going to make those hard places easier than you think. You will blossom in the desert places.