Walking through a botanical garden today with family, blossoms were beginning to burst open on red and white flowering crab apple trees, their beauty and fragrance nearly impossible to ignore. I stopped several times to enjoy the spectacle, and as always, my phone came out of my pocket to snap a few pictures along the way. That got me to thinking about my faith in Jesus Christ, that if I did not take time to nurture my relationship with the Lord, then how could I expect my relationship to grow and flourish? How can my faith take root and bloom into something beautiful if I don’t add water and fertilizer, known to me as Bible reading and prayer?
I learned today that the Bible does not specifically use the phrase ‘blossoming your faith,’ the title that I picked for this devotional, but it does describe the wilderness growing and thriving, a metaphor that points towards the revamping and developing of your faith and mine. Even in rough seas, which we all endure from time to time, God can bring beauty and life out of our wilderness experiences, the notion that our faith can blossom even in challenging circumstances when our faith might be down and out.
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. (Isaiah 35: 1, 2 NIV)
The Bible also speaks of faith as a seed that grows and produces fruit in our lives. You may have heard the term, “faith without action is dead,” five words that suggest our faith needs to blossom into good works as the Lord hopes for us when we place our hearts and lives into His capable hands: “Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.’ You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? (James 2:18,19 NLT)
Admittedly, there are times in my life when the blossoms feel more like they are withering than flowering into things of stunning beauty. I would venture a guess that you also might be nodding your head, yes. It’s during those difficult times that we need to lean on God, even when things don’t make any sense.
I read a sermon excerpt from a pastor by the name of Sam Adeyemi. He says, “Sometimes we talk about faith in ways that make us feel good, in ways that make it look easy. But if you want to get lush greenery out of a desert, you will have to plant seeds in the desert, and that doesn’t make sense.”
I need to trust God more and myself less. How about you? Let’s bloom together!
Paul Smyth
