This past spring, I planted some flowers in three different pots to have on my front porch. They grew very nicely but once the heat of summer hit, they just couldn't keep up. I was watering them twice a day to keep them alive. We went on a week long vacation and when we came back, they were goners! I left them out on the porch for about a month after that and finally got tired of looking at the dead plants in these beautiful pots so we moved them into the garage.
About 2 months ago, Jeremy and I started noticing that one of the plants had little baby sprouts peeking thru the soil. Mind you, I haven't watered them since they were moved to the garage and they aren't where they can get sunlight. So imagine my surprise when I started seeing GROWTH. I ignored it and went about my business but one day as I was getting Rylee out of the car she dropped something and it landed right beside the pot. I leaned over to pick it up and God spoke something into my spirit that I haven't been able to shake since.
There are a lot of times that we feel isolated and like God doesn't hear our prayers. We are in a season of DARKNESS and we aren't having any spiritual GROWTH. At least thats what we feel in our flesh. Just like the flowers that I planted, I couldn't see any promise of growth or beauty on the surface of the soil. Thats how we are as humans sometimes. We feel stuck in a rut, isolated, dead, weary, tired, confused and in the DARK.
I could only see what was happening on the surface of the soil and it wasn't promising. But deep beneath the soil, there was work being done. Sometimes it's in the darkest hours of our lives where our biggest and most natural growth happens. The Bible says on many occasions that God is exactly what we need and what we cannot be ourselves.
He's a light in our darkness-
Isaiah 9:2 "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone."
He's our peace in times of trouble-
Philippians 4:7 " And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
He's our help in time of need-
Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."
He's our provider when we have nothing-
Philippians 4:19 " And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
Those are just a fraction of what God's word has to say to us about what He is for each and every one of us.
There was a point in my life where I went thru a very hard time in a relationship with a friend. Some things surfaced that had been said and to be honest, I was completely devastated by it. I had bared my soul with this friend and I felt completely betrayed. I didn't know if I would be able to trust another friend like that again and began the process of keeping others at an arms length from there on out. I was in a very dark place at this point in my life. I felt isolated. I felt betrayed. I felt lonely. Part of me even felt dead. In that time of sadness and darkness, God was doing a work in me beneath the surface. He was forming and molding things within me that have shaped me into the person and friend I am today. I look back on that time and see that it was in my darkness that he birthed new life and vision within me. He gave me the ability to receive friendship again. I have some of the best friendships today that I have ever had in my entire life. That's something that God did within me and then for me. I know that a lot of times we want growth to look like a happy time and maybe even a powerful encounter at the altar. Sometimes it is like that. Most of the time He finds us in our lowest and darkest times.
Next time you're facing a situation where you feel like all there is on the surface is deadness just remember that beneath it all, God is working and forming a newness that will soon push out the old and breath new life and vision into your situation!
