Matthew 10:31
“Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.”
After the barrenness of the winter months, a transformation begins to take place in our garden. One of the first signs of Spring, besides the appearance of crocuses, daffodils, and hyacinths, so anxious to burst forth in new life, is the heightened activity of the birds. Sometimes we hear the eager twitterpated birds as early as mid-February when they begin their search for a nesting place, which is usually our front door wreath. Finally, after having trashed countless door decorations, I have gotten smart and no longer tempt them. Nevertheless, one can still hear them out there, making their plans, searching for the right spot as their time of barrenness is about to bring forth new life.
Many years ago, when I was a relatively new Christian, the desire to be used by God was burning so deep within me that I cried out to Him, asking, “Why? Why am I in Your ‘waiting room’, Lord?” To my heart, He spoke clearly, “Because I am preparing you.” He must have had a lot of preparing in mind as it was another decade before I sensed He had been preparing me to minister to women. And then, like the flowers of Spring, God’s plan for me burst forth into a new life, a ministry to women that has taken many forms and has lasted for over forty years.
Many of you today find yourselves in a time of barrenness. Perhaps you are experiencing a dry spiritual period, unanswered prayer, loneliness, and separation from family, or you are waiting for your “prodigal” to come home. Perhaps you are waiting for God to make it clear what His calling is for you. I find myself in God’s waiting room once again while waiting for God to bring healing to my body. Are you feeling forsaken by God as you wait? Please take heart, dear reader; He has not forsaken you or me! We are of much more value to the Lord than any birds. He loves us, He has a plan, and we can trust Him with the time we spend in His waiting room.
How can we use this time of waiting to prepare for God’s fulfillment of His plan for us?
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much and that You care about every detail of our lives. We acknowledge that You have a purpose for each season on earth, and each season in our lives. Help us to trust You to bring new life out of barrenness by taking our hard, selfish, unbelieving hearts and transforming them into soft, yielded, trusting, and faithful ones. Prepare us, O God. In Jesus’ name and for His sake we pray. Amen.
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