05/02/2018
Psalm 97:10-12
“10 Listen, you lovers of God! Hate evil,
for God can keep you from the power of wickedness.
11 For He sows seeds of light within His lovers,
and seeds of joy burst forth for the lovers of God!
12 So be glad and continue to give Him thanks,
for God’s holiness is seen in everything He does.”
The first thing that caught my attention when reading these verses the other day was the phrase, “He sows seeds of light within His lovers”. As I stopped to ponder those words, I first focused on the fact that what He gives us in seed form.
Seeds are small. They are unimposing and not much to look at.
Seeds don’t look anything like what they eventually grow into.
Seeds take time, water, and light to grow. They must be tended and cared for.
Seeds grow underground, in darkness.
Seeds reproduce in kind. Apple seeds produce apples, not potatoes.
Seeds produce something more—not just fruit, but fruit that has more seeds inside!
Then I remembered one of my favorite quotes about growth… “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” –Cynthia Ocelli
Next I thought about the cross. That’s what happened to Jesus. His insides came out, literally. He was “completely” destroyed for our sakes. He was buried underground, in the tomb.
Next, I thought about the fact that according to this verse in Psalm 97, the seeds He gives are light.
Now, there are way too many verses to connect here. However, a couple of them that I’d like to highlight are:
John 1:4, “Life came into being because of Him, for His life is light for all humanity” and
James 1:17, “Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change” and
1 John 1:5, “… God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in Him”.
I think when we see or experience darkness all around us, it can be easy to forget what we carry inside. When we are broken and torn apart inside, it can seem as if we are completely destroyed. When things don’t happen as we thought they would, it can create confusion, disappointment and disillusionment.
We can get stuck here if we’re not careful.
That’s why we have to continue reading and remember verse 12, which instructs us to “be glad and continue to give Him thanks”. WHY?
Because His “holiness is seen in everything He does.”
We must remember that what He gave us is pure, it’s light, it’s life, it’s perfect and good.
We have to hold onto the truth, that He’s not shifty and there’s no darkness in Him.
We need to keep in mind that it’s just normal for a seed to be broken open, for its inside to come out, and for it to completely change and be transformed.
The only successful way to go through the growth process is to be convinced that He’s good, that He’s for us, that He’s telling us the truth, that the seed He gave us really will produce His life in us, that He is faithful and that he will finish what He has begun in us!
If you’re in a dark season, or feeling like you’re insides are hanging out, or that you are being cracked apart… STOP and BREATHE!
FOCUS YOUR EYES ON HIS EYES OF FIERY LOVE!
Remind your soul of who He is and give Him thanks, for being at work in your life… because He is the only one who gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for despair!
TRUST HIM! A beautiful garden is growing and that is definitely worth being glad about!
