HARDY & FRAGRANT
There is something we carry with us everywhere we go. It is a truth because we can sense deep within us “this” as we go throughout our days. Every place, Every conversation, & Every quiet moment—“This” goes with us. Now maybe we are wondering: What is the THIS that WE carry with us?
“For you will go out with joy
And be led in peace;
The mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
(Isaiah 55: 12 NASB 2020)
What is the THIS that WE carry with us?
Before that question can be answered, we must address the “WE” for whom “THIS” is given (I know. That last sentence seems weird even to me.)
WE—Those who believe in God, who have made an active decision to accept God’s free offer of salvation, and who strive to walk daily within the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit.
THIS—The Salvation of God!
We live in a world where circumstances, relationships, and situations are constantly changing; nevertheless, as a believer, as a Christian, we also live in a world, a place where changing circumstances, changing relationships, and changing situations DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE “WHO” RESIDES WITHIN US!
Think about that for a LONG moment.
- Our Emotions.
- Other People’s Comments.
- The Outside Elements.
- Our Daily Stresses.
- Irate Fellow Drivers.
- Our Life Demands Filled With Time Crunches.
NOTHING HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE JOY WITHIN US!
NOTHING HAS THE POWER TO ELIMINATE OR EVEN ALTER THE JOY OF “WHO” RESIDES WITHIN US!
NOTHING!
“Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper will come up,
And instead of the stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up;
And it will be a memorial to the LORD,
An everlasting sign which will not be eliminated.”
(Isaiah 55: 13 NASB 2020)
WE CAN TRUST THE WORD of GOD & GOD’S PROMISES—ALWAYS & EVERY DAY!
“Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper will come up,
And instead of the stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up; . . .”
Now, I will never claim to be a horticulturist, and quite frankly, I am far from it. However, there is this wonder called the Internet that has aided me in understanding these particular plants that the prophet Isaiah utilized within God’s Word.
Unashamedly, there are just some things we should not wish to be: the thorn bush or the stinging nettle.
WHY?
Walk across any farm where cattle feed upon the grass, and quickly you will come to a wild “thorn bush” that reaches out and grabs ahold of whatever part of our being that is available: our clothing, our hands, and (if within a thicket of them) even our faces and necks. If left unchecked, the “thorn bushes” that grow wild will consume the pastureland. If we are still not convinced, just ask my husband who never drives across our farm without his trusty grubbing hoe, always ready to dig-out the deep roots of the wild thorn bush.
“Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper will come up,”
Walk across any harsh terrain, one where the ground beneath our shoes is jagged and rock-covered; there we will find the hardy junipers growing, coming straight out of the rock.
- How can that be?
- How can a 3’ to 12’ berry-producing bush of medicinal goodness grow out from a rock?
JESUS CHRIST, THE SOLID ROCK!
“And instead of the stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up; . . .”
Instead of a plant that pricks our skin, causing a stinging sensation and rash, we are to be found to be the myrtle.
- How can we be a myrtle? &
- What exactly is a myrtle?
Fragrant. An evergreen shrub. A symbol of Recovery. A Symbol of God’s promises.
In the Old Testament, before Esther became Queen Esther, she was Hadassah (her Hebrew name). Her heroism was released once her people (the Hebrew people) were in grave danger.
In my landscaping surrounding my wrap-around front porch, I planted two myrtles, and to be honest, when I planted these sixteen years ago, I was quite sad because in early spring, when every other plant was in bloom, the myrtle remained green (and seemingly un-blooming). Then, as the heat of the summertime came, my two little myrtles BLOOMED! While all the other early-blooming plants were growing more dormant, the myrtle BLOOMED in all her glory.
“Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper will come up,
And instead of the stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up; . . .”
- Let us be the hardy junipers planted and growing strong out of the solid rock of Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD.
- Let us be the fragrant myrtles, ever-growing and blooming for all the world to see our Mighty God we serve.
So, let us be ever-mindful that:
NOTHING HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE JOY WITHIN US!
NOTHING HAS THE POWER TO ELIMINATE OR EVEN ALTER THE JOY OF “WHO” RESIDES WITHIN US!
NOTHING!
There are not many things in this world that we can “take to the bank,” that we can trust forevermore.
Nonetheless,
WE CAN TRUST THE WORD of GOD & GOD’S PROMISES—ALWAYS & EVERY DAY!
THE PROMISES of GOD ARE UN-CEASING!
THEY ARE EVERLASTING, TRANSCENDING FROM THIS LIFE INTO OUR ETERNITY!
HARDY & FRAGRANT.
EVER-GROWING & AROMA-FILLED.
- Let us proclaim the “THIS” that WE carry with us.
- Let us proclaim—THIS—The Salvation of God!
“So will My Word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.
For you will go out with joy
And be led in peace;
The mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
(Isaiah 55: 11-12 NASB 2020)