Series: Flowers in the Desert
I Timothy 6:12 ESV
Romans 8:28 ESV
Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
Fight the good fight is a great slogan but if we’re being honest there are times when we do not feel like fighting.
There are times when we’re really sick and tired of looking for the good and trying to stick by it.
There are seasons when we feel confused because of all the noise from the world.
Fighting the good fight is what we want, but sometimes it’s really difficult to understand and know which door to choose.
Life is complex.
It’s hard.
Yet I Timothy 6:12 tells us to, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
When life for us seems hard, there are times when we can take a cue from Mother Earth. Part of the reason we are looking to desert plants is so we can see how very well they fight the good fight.
Conditions in the deserts of the world are unbelievably difficult, yet plants survive and thrive in the desert.
They “figured out” how to survive and even thrive. When there is no water within sight, there are desert plants that grow long, long, and even longer tap roots to dig for water.
Desert plants adapt to sandy soil conditions in order to live.
In the desert succulents adapted to a way to hold onto moisture.
Cacti have leaves that over time evolved into spikes so they can survive their harsh environment.
The spikes discourage predators from eating the plant (Wow).
The shape of the spine makes it so the plant does receive some shade.
Flowers found on the cactus are pollinated by bats and moths at night. After they are pollinated they produce fruit that has seeds.
Those seeds reproduce.
Now…that’s genius!
Various kinds of cactus can live hundreds of years.
Cactus fight the good fight every day.
The point is that God gave and gives each plant what it needs to survive. And so it is with us.
We go back to the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
The environment instinctively looks to the creator of life.
Man on the other hand has a choice, but by choosing God we have the promise that for us all things work together for good.
For those of us who made that choice when we were wee lads and lassies, we don’t remember much about a life without God. Jesus has always been our faithful companion who protects us wherever we go.
Those of us who were much older when we turned to God know more about the pitfalls of life and in some ways appreciate God daily because of the ‘knowing’ what a life without God looks like. Life can be pretty lonely and dark without God.
Wherever you fall on the spectrum doesn’t matter today. Just like the plants and all the other elements in the universe, God is always there. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
What is most amazing about Zephaniah’s words is that it isn’t a one time deal. His words apply to all of us every moment of every day of every year all the days of our lives.
God is in our midst.
God is mighty to save each of us.
God rejoices over each of us with gladness.
God will quiet weary hearts.
God exults over each of us with loud singing.
Ultimately we matter to God. Each one matters.
Spiritual Practice: Hear Your Song
Contemplate God exulting over you with loud singing. Do you hear the song?
In God, Deborah
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