“I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not,
I am the one who helps you…’
And you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
that they may see and know,
may consider and understand together,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.” Isaiah 41:13,16-20
Only God could design a plant to hang onto a tree by tubular roots and put out brachted shoots with oval pods that at the perfect moment, burst open in exquisite bloom. Snowy white amidst lush greens captures the eye, and the orchid’s deep violet eyes look back and intrigue. What manner of beauty is this, tucked in a small green orb? What love so inspired this display, this feast for sight and wonder? What masterful creativity imagined such a process in such a plant, one among the numberless? Only God, Master Gardener.
This One who causes roots to extend and hold on, who tucks irrepressible life into benign nuggets of green, who fashioned the senses to be captivated and tell the soul to praise, He can do anything. This remarkable and personal God, who brings fountains to drought and lush to wildernesses, can do absolutely anything. He can bring clarity into confusion, healing to broken hearts, hope to the downtrodden, and revival to the exhausted. He can unify the divided, retrieve the stray, soften the rebellious, transform the mindset, save the lost.
How does marveling at this glorious and creative God shape our expectations in our challenges? How does His power change our attitudes in our difficulties? How does His personal involvement in details readjust our outlook for the future? Knowing Him elevates our intellect and reasoning, and should make a difference in every crevice of our thinking and every corner of our heart. It should refine our emotions, stamp our decisions, and shape our affections.
What attitudes or efforts lie limp in me today? Where is my will weak, my desire turned inward and selfish? Where do I need a supernatural riot of vitality and color? Would I humbly seek these from the Master of my soul, and surrender to His movement in and through me?
Lord, I bow before Your indescribable perfection. Please awaken what sleeps in my spirit and revive what flags in my flesh. By Your resurrection power, bring glorious, vibrant bloom of, and for, Your glory.
As the rain and snow 