Spring Cometh

"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time."  ~ Martin Luther

At this time of year, while driving about and noticing the gradual return of spring, I always recall that quote of Martin Luther's ... and I recall the time in my life when it brought me hope ... a time that now seems so far away ... dream-like.

I sat in the plane, frozen with fear.  My life was suddenly in the midst of a wild tempest, having received horrible news.  My life had become a soap opera -- tragic and, yet, cliché and corny.  

The plane ... sitting on the tarmac waiting to be cleared for take-off.  The other passengers ... waiting for their destinations.  Were they traveling for business?  Pleasure?  In the midst of some crisis?  I prayed.

Looking out the window, my eyes fell upon a frozen landscape -- January.  The earth was covered in a blanket of snow-dusted brown grass.  The trees were naked, appearing black.  Colorless.  The land looked so ... January dead.  Brown.  Black.  White.  Frozen.  Lifeless.  

I felt colorless and lifeless.  Frozen by betrayal ... and frozen with fear.  I prayed.  My prayer was one of few words steeped in a deep ache.

As I continued to gaze out the window, feeling like as I were the frozen landscape -- barren, naked, frozen, lifeless -- I gradually how beautiful the winter appeared, bathed in sunlight.  The early morning sky was a soft golden color with tinges of blue in its upper reaches.  The sun made the dusting of snow sparkle ever so slightly on the ground and in the trees.

A small answer to my prayer: I remembered Luther's quote about the promise of the resurrection being evident in spring.  "Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time."

This prompted me to remember what lay beneath the winter landscape: new life.  Though frozen and dormant, seeds -- new life -- were patiently waiting to spring.  I knew that after a period of time, this now frozen, barren land would gradually turn green, sprouting blossoms and blooms all about.  The brown, lifeless grass would slowly return to its green state, growing as its seeds and roots were warmed once again by the sun.

I knew I was like this frozen earth -- for now, cold and lifeless.  But, there still remained the promise of the resurrection.  Life was waiting to spring forth again.  In the meantime ... in this Winter ... the earth patiently waited for the sun's gradual warming.

I prayed that God would help me be patient and remain faithful, as the seeds of Life planted within me patiently  waiting.

I pray for you ... that God would help you with whatever threat you are facing ... that God would protect you from forces that intend ill for you ... that you would receive the strength you need to face your situation ... that you would feel His presence in the midst of your storm ... that God will give you what you need ... and that you remember that the Resurrection is here and is coming.