I was hoping that we had survived the summer of the cicadas fairly unscathed. A few tree branches were browned, but that seemed to be the extent of the damages. It wasn’t until I was at the task of window washing that I espied what those noisy critters had chosen as their main munchie, my rhododendron plant. As silly as it sounds, that plant has sentimental value to me, purchased during our early struggling years, found on a K- Mart clearance rack, wilted and half dead. I nursed it back to life, planted it in view of my front window, and took great pleasure when those beautiful flowers finally appeared. And here it is, devastated by a hungry locust-like bug, half of its succulent leaves wiped out. I couldn’t muster the courage to cut it down, so I ignored the problem-for weeks.
We were inundated with water during that particularly rainy month, so the inevitable cutting-of-the-bush project was put off even longer. When the monsoon season was replaced by a dry spell, I armed myself for the heart-breaking chore. Today was the day, that rhododendron was coming down. But wait, what’s this? Small leaves, no larger than my finger nails, were sprouting on those bare, seemingly dead branches. Those days and days of nourishing water had restored life!
I have been studying the life of Job, and what is obvious is that utter despair, as an unwanted house guest, had come to co-inhabit Job’s existence. He was lost in the drought of depression, wearied from the dryness of the trials he faced. As he sat wallowing in his intense grief, his eye caught sight of a tree that had been cut down, the root was old, and the stock was dying. Sound familiar, a bit like my devastated rhododendron? Job could sympathize with the old, dead tree, for he was experiencing the same deadness in his own life. But then he saw it, green life! “…Yet through the scent of water” it budded and brought forth “boughs like a plant.” Life from death! The scent of water, that familiar aroma in the air when a spring rain is on the horizon, would accomplish its life-sustaining purpose, it would restore life.
So is it with our Blessed Hope, that assurance that God is still on the throne, still in control, regardless of our particular situation, He has a purpose in our lives, He sustains and restores us in the driest of valleys and the during deepest of sorrows. And best of all, He will return for His children, descending “from heaven with a shout, and with the trump of God,” accomplishing salvation’s promise of eternal life. That eternal life is mine, a forever time of perfect peace and fellowship with my Father in glory! Now that’s the “scent of water” that can sustain me through the loneliness of trials and the darkest of days!
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Thank You for the “scent of water,” the hope that sustains me, the promise of life eternal. Heaven will be my home, valleys will be past, fellowship will be eternal.