wondering about... His unfailing Word...

Remembrance... of His unfailing Word... left me wondering...

The after-school ministry... and the teaching of Bible to sixth graders... is coming to a close for the school year...

A time when kids are wound up... and those who serve them are wearing down... counting days...

The sowing... scattering of seed... on this rough terrain... can be challenging... and at times seems... well... fruitless...

As I looked over the sanctuary filled with 150+ children waiting to be picked up... Kinder through 6th...  the activity level high... the noise level even higher... I remember... the remembrance of His unfailing Word...

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ..."

Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV
(my emphasis)

Literally... the thought made me laugh...

one of those cynical little laughs...

I thought...

Really...?!

The Word planted... this year... in this soil... will not return to You void...?

The thought made me wonder...

Wonder at the possibility of the truth of this Word...

Wonder at the prospect of where it would sprout first...

Who would find a meal in the seed planted...

Who would go on to plant it in other places...

An unexpected encouragement... at the end of a challenging day... of hauling seed... casting it on what seemed to be unfertile soil...

The thought that it would not return to Him void... empty... was wonder-full...



blooming trust...

They catch my eye... walking past the window...

The planting of trust... is blooming...

Several weeks ago... I planted trust...

Small green plants... no blooms to ensure... what was on the tag... was true...

Now... weeks later... I see... blooming trust...

 

A physical reminder... in the early morning light... of the blessing of acting on trust...

A spiritual reminder... of the blessing... of trusting in Him... His Word... and His Way...

When we plant a life... trusting in Him... we will experience... His faithfulness...

And from His faithfulness... we grow a life of... blooming trust...

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him...

Psalm 37:3-7 ESV

planting trust...

When I asked if they had any pansies left she said... Yes... but they don't have much color on them right now...

I said... That's OK... grabbed a wagon and headed to the greenhouses she numbered off...

And Yes... she was right... not much color...

Some older plants... had few blooms... I gathered a couple of flats... with the colors I wanted...

Then... I saw flats of new plants... healthy... green... but no blooms... no color...

Looking at the tag... I saw what I wanted... multicolor clear blooms...

So I put back the others... and took four with absolutely no color... except for the tiny pictures...

Back home... in the garden... the words came to mind... planting trust...

Trusting the tag...
trusting the picture...
trusting future growth...
trusting color to come...
I planted...

Wednesday... I planted trust... on top of hope...

And I see how this is like prayer... a planting of hope... and trust...

Taking time... and energy...
Reaching out to the unseen... unheard... with words... requests... questions...
Hoping He hears... responds... works... forgives...
Trusting His presence... sovereignty... love... grace...

Exercising prayer... like planting a garden...
waiting for hope to spring forth...
and trust to prove worthy...

"... have regard to the prayer of  your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers...

2 Chronicles 6:19-20 ESV

planting... hope...

Saturday... I did something I don't do very often...
Maybe three... four... times... in the last twenty-five years...
I planted hope...

Every planting... of a seed... a bulb... requires... hope...

Now hope that is seen is not hope.

For who hopes for what he sees?

Romans 8:24 ESV

I see the bulbs...
I see the picture on the box...
But what I see after planting...?

Nothing... but dirt... and... mess...

I think about farmers... as I plant...

What if my whole livelihood... was dependent... on what I buried...?
How much hope... is needed... to plant dead seeds... in hopes of crops...? to support families...?

It's hard enough for me to get it together to plant bulbs... which I love to see in the Spring...

It doesn't happen every year... because... sometimes... it's just not worth the wait... or the what-if's...

What if they don't grow...?
what if this is a waste... of time... energy...?
what if...?

Hope... it's like that...

To live by it...
speak it into someone else's life...
depend on it...
requires... patience...

But if we hope for what we do not see,

we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:25 ESV

There is no immediate gratification... when it comes to... planting... hope...

I look at the pumpkins... gracing my front door...

...and consider the hope... planted by farmers... who grew these orange globes...

Hope... in dried up seeds...
planted... in the dark...
beneath... the ground...

Bursting into produce... to sell...
and begin the cycle... again...

So I'm inspired... to wait... and hope...
not only on tulip bulbs...
but Him...

And hope does not disappoint us,

because God has poured out his love

into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

whom he has given us.

Romans 5:5

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