destruction
will find blessings even in the barren
land,
for I will give rest to the people of
Israel."
Jeremiah 31:2
a verse not as well known as the
one which follows:
Long ago the LORD said to Israel:
"I have loved you, my people, with an
everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you
to myself."
Jeremiah 31:3
the entire chapter is one of
hope.
hope
even when.
even in.
the words
blessings even in
the barren land
jumped off the page
and into my heart.
is there a greater
promise?
blessings are easy to count
when we are surrounded by such,
but when standing in a
barren field
or desert
or valley,
or even ruins,
they are often
a little harder
to see.
yet is that not when
those promised blessings
are most profound?
sometimes that
for which we
have to search
means more than
that which is readily available.
the brilliance of a golden dandelion
is more obvious when standing
alone in a field of dirt than
when sharing a space
in the grass with
twenty other
dandelions.
likewise,
a spring in the desert
will mean more than
a spring in lush surroundings.
and this is in no way
discouragement from
counting blessings when
the blessings
are bountiful,
for are not
blessings
always
gifts?
is beating its own unique
rhythm yet each unique rhythm
beats in perfect time to the
heartbeat of the Creator.
and so, too, are the
blessings unique.
the barren lands
and deserts and
valleys and ruins
are unique as well.
and is that not one
of the beauties of
the body of Christ?
individuals unique,
yet intertwined in
the One whose
hand brought
this world
into being.
so to the heart feeling alone
in the barren land or desert
or valley or ruins,
don't give up.
this season will not last
forever.
and this you can know:
in this time
you will be
given gifts.
blessings
where
least
expected.
and a new or renewed
sense of intimacy
with the One whose
heartbeat underlies all.
this I know to be true,
for I have been there.
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