Spring has sprung as the old saying goes! I love this time of year! Dreary days of barren trees and colorless landscapes suddenly respond to the warming temperatures and the abundance of rain. Every day it seems I see new evidence of life bursting into reality. Branches begin to swell with buds that slowly unveil new leaves or beautiful blooms. From the teeny tiny purple flowers in our lawn to the daffodils and tulips pushing up, flowers of all kinds suddenly start to paint the world and make us smile.
While we were looking at life above the surface, change and progress were happening below the surface. In that cold, dormant ground, God was preparing, stirring, growing. He was setting things in motion when all we could see was mud and dead grass. And though we were unaware, growth was happening. Seeds planted months before had been germinating and developing. Life-giving sap that had been still has begun to flow in that dead-looking tree.
More than the Surface
We have to trust that He is at work below the surface.
2 Corinthians 5:7 TPT says “For we live by faith, not by what we see with our eyes.”
Our view is so, so limited. Those of us who garden, know this and wait patiently for signs of life in our gardens. A few weeks ago as I was clearing out dead leaves and stalks from my garden, I was careful to not get too aggressive so I would not disturb any new growth that might be hidden below the debris. I have learned not to dig up a bush that looks dead this time of year or set something large down and cover a place where flowers have bloomed before until I am sure that no living thing is going to push up and bloom. I understand a little of how nature works and I trust in the process, I have faith in it.
Hebrews 11:1 NIV tells us “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for, and assurance
about what we do not see.”
Faith, the Key to Sight
Our faith is the key to true sight. Sometimes I have planted seeds that I am hoping will grow and bloom, and sometimes, the flowers from last season reseed themselves and bloom the next year without much help from me. And sometimes, I get a surprise! Something planted years earlier will finally push through the hard ground to my delight. I planted tulip bulbs last fall and was thrilled when I saw the tulip leaves rise out of the ground this Spring. But to my surprise, where I planted one bulb, 1-2-even 3 tulips are popping up to bloom. More than I expected or imagined!
Ephesians 3:20 NIV says,
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Some versions say “exceedingly abundantly above”, “above and beyond”, or“superabundantly more”. That’s our God! He delights in surprising us!
He is at work below the surface, in the darkness, in the places that show no sign of life.
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Hebrews 10:23 NLT
And while you are waiting for God to reveal what He’s been working on, reseed your hope in
the lives of those around you.
Spring has indeed sprung, but Hope springs eternal
Written by Kim Hughes
