Coming up from behind

And there it is, coming up from behind what was already there. An unexpected bloom, a place of blessing, a new way to minister to others. I have Orchids, and they are such amazingly delicate flowers, yet they do amazing things. They can sustain blooms for up to 4 months or more. Then they go into a time of dormancy that can last up to 9 months. I was caring for one of the four Orchid plants I have when I noticed new buds coming out just behind the current blooms.  I love this because, as the old blooms die, new ones are opening, to replace the colour and beauty the old ones are losing.

Isn’t God just so amazing in how He designs life to work, both earthly and spiritually. There are times when our life can feel dormant, or stagnant, nothing new on the horizon. But God is always at work within us and around us. Like a master artist and designer, He is creating new growth that we cannot see yet, but it’s there, deep down, awaiting God’s call to come forth.

“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

(Isaiah 43:18-19 HCSB)

I love that about God, He is always doing something new, bringing us new ways to honor Him and to serve Him.  He delights in surprising us with new opportunities and wonderful paths we’ve never been down before. Following Him is always an adventure .  But there are times of extended dormancy in our lives as well. Times of rest and training. Times of confusion and healing. Time much needed for our roots to grow deeper and our faith to become stronger. Ecclesiastes says it best:

The Mystery of Time

There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:

a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his struggles? I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 HCSB)

Are you in a time of new growth and blessing? Rejoice in it. But if you are in a time of dormancy, wait for the Lord there.  He is deep at work within you and around you, preparing new paths for you to walk, new ways to bring Him Glory. Watch for it, wait for Him. It may come in a very unexpected way, a bloom coming up from behind. An unexpected path into His Joy.