A Blooming Crocus

Sunday 12/13/2015 5:15 AM

I saw another meteor as I ran early this morning. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since tonight is supposed to be the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, the biggest meteor shower of the year. It reminds me of the meteors I saw a few weeks ago right before Thanksgiving, which sparked a thought in me about the brevity of life.

I sat down for my devotions and closed my eyes to relax and to pray for God to reveal himself during my time of meditation. I fell asleep in my chair and dreamed about a field of flowers in a desert. The flowers grew quickly and began to bloom. Then the blooms turned into a flame of fire that burned for a short time before exploding, spreading sparks, which were seeds of new plants that repeated the process. I slept for only a minute or two but the flower cycle in my dream repeated itself three times.

I woke and wondered what the dream meant. I thought about the brevity of life, inspired by the meteor I saw on my run. I also thought about how the Spirit of God manifested itself as a flame of fire resting upon the heads of the disciples of Jesus. I opened my devotional book and noted the theme for the new week; prepare the way of the Lord.

I began by reading Psalm 96:1-3, “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” I am clearly called to sing the praise of God, to proclaim his salvation and glory, and to tell about his deeds to all people. My next assigned reading was Isaiah 35, which begins with these words, “The desert and 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. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.” If I sing the praise of God and declare his glory and his deeds among the nations then my life will be like a crocus bursting into bloom in the desert for all to see, just like in my dream.

Isaiah 35 doesn’t end with the blooming crocus. It goes on to describe the result of God’s coming into the lives of his people. The eyes of the blind are opened, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap like a deer and the mute will shout for joy. Water will gush in the desert and sand will become pools and springs that bring life. When the fire of the Spirit of God invades my life everything is changed, the world reversed. God works through his people to bring hope and restoration to a world that is dry and barren.

Rueben Job writes about this promise of God. “God’s promise seems no less preposterous today. Turn the values of this world upside down? Rich become weak; poor become strong? Each of us chosen to be God’s special witness to God’s promise of love and justice? It does seem like a preposterous promise, until we listen carefully to the Advent story, observe the life of Jesus, and listen to the Spirit’s voice today. But then we see that the promise is for us. The responsibility to tell the story is ours.” I want to be such a person; a crocus bursting into bloom in the desert so all will see the glory of God and will experience his transforming power.