mid-week meet-up: God's Unseen Work

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I’m loving these recent days that are finally feeling like Spring. In my yard, the daffodils and hyacinths have blossomed, and my grass is already in need of cutting. My dogwood trees are in bud, and I’m eager to see their white flowers making the trees burst with light.  

One of the things I always think about this time of year is the fact we tend to notice the flowers only when they are in full blossom. This is no surprise, because they are the most beautiful when they are in blossom. However, there is so much growth that goes unseen. The lilies of the valley and the irises in my backyard aren’t flowering yet, but their roots are establishing and their green shoots are growing and maybe even emerging from the soil. Much of the life of plants happens underground and goes unseen. However, that unseen growth is vital to the eventual appearance of their beautiful flowers.  

This is a great analogy for our life with Christ. God is often nurturing and tending to someone’s soul in subtle and quiet ways before we notice big changes in their life. The same is true for ourselves. Even though we have access to our own inner life in ways that we don’t have access to other people’s inner lives, it can still be hard to perceive this “unseen” work that God is doing within our own souls. We should be careful not to judge others or ourselves, because sometimes God is actually doing something vital “underground” that we just haven’t seen the fruit of yet.  

I encourage you to open the Bible today and spend some time in prayer. You might want to read Galatians 5:22-23. In that passage we’re told that the kind of “plants” God is cultivating in our hearts are the kind that grow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Ask God to show you the subtle ways that you are being shaped and formed into the likeness of Jesus. Just like with plants in their early stages of growth, we have to spend time paying close attention to notice the important growth that may be happening. 

Peace,
Aaron