DESERT BLOOM

 Sunday devotional 4/7/13

The desert usually is a dry and thirsty land.  Most of the time when traveling through deserts, you learn to appreciate all the different tints and shades of brown God created. But when the winter rains are plentiful, there will be a wonderful miracle in spring.  The desert wild flowers will carpet the browns with patterns of white, yellow, orange, purple and blue.  This arid land becomes painted with desert bloom.

Sometimes our lives can become very parched also.  We may wonder what God is up to in our lives.  Questioning God can be quite natural when we pray for something good and all we seem to receive are difficulties.  But if we rely on God, we often are able to see and experience the blooms of blessings in those hard times.  Adversity molds us into who we become.  We may learn patience, endurance, courage, effectiveness, or tenacity.  Most importantly we can learn to lean on God more, strengthening our faith, and enhancing our witness.  Hardships can create empathy toward others going through similar trials, allowing us to be able to provide experienced help to them in their time of need and point them to God.  Just as the glory of resurrection could not have occurred without the affliction of the cross, we cannot expect great triumphs to happen in our own lives without the tragedies leading up to them.  These are the blessings of adversities, our desert bloom.

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

written by Jan Andersen