“I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.” Joel 2:25

Growing Out of the Fallen

The words on a blog that accompanied the photo below were “growing out of the fallen.”

In many ways I could see Floyd like that giant fallen tree. My “gentle giant” was struck down by some rare, unusual infection that we still don’t completely understand.

And yet, if I stand back and look at it from another perspective, I see good things that God, in His unique way, has brought out of it. There has been the most unusual wave of prayer that has come out of Floyd’s illness. Life is busy and many things call out for our time and attention. But many are still praying. It’s so wonderful, and so profound. I can’t help but wonder what God is up to with all this. I know He is moving on people’s hearts to pray. I know those prayers aren’t wasted. Something is happening that we can’t see or understand. One friend recently said, “Only heaven will reveal all that God has been up to these past couple of years.” Like the tree growing out of the fallen tree, God is bringing life and growth through this wave of prayer after Floyd was struck down in illness.

I’m not a giant like that tree, but in many ways I, too, was struck down—by the cancer that attacked my body. I faced death, I “felt” like death for many months, and I have no idea what is ahead.

If I stand back and look at my life, I, too, can see growth. God has brought richness of fellowship, intimacy with Him, a deeper walk of faith, an ability to trust Him in new ways, and so much more into my relationship with Him. I have grown! There is definitely life that has come from the fall l experienced. I am so, so grateful for the beauty of fresh life that He has brought through the very low time that I walked through—and continue to walk through.

One of the things I have always loved about God is that He creates new beginnings for us. He is constantly picking up the pieces in our lives, and creating something new, fresh, and beautiful. He didn’t stop creating after the seven days when He created the world. He is the ultimate, continual Creator.

He brings “beauty out of ashes.” He takes what has been destroyed and breathes fresh life into it. He doesn’t accept failure or defeat. He doesn’t say, “Sorry, you blew it.” He doesn’t condemn us or give up on us. He doesn’t write us off because we’ve sinned or disappointed Him one too many times. He doesn’t say that we should have done more and then it would have been okay.

No! He restores. He renews. He heals. He forgives. He redeems. He creates a new plan. He recovers what has been lost. He rescues us from disasters we’ve created. He clears the record of our transgressions. He pardons fully and completely.  He mends what has been broken. He rebuilds what has been destroyed. He reconciles in broken relationships. He saves us from ourselves. He never, ever stops working in our lives.

“In hope, O God, we look for the evidence of Your work in fallen things. Amen.”