The Preparation through planting & God's heart through the process.

It's incredible to me that in the middle of a mundane and ordinary day, God sees it fit to show up when you least expect Him to. Last summer, I was working at a church, and during one of those mundane and ordinary days, the Lord did just that. Almost like the story of the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4, I found myself in the center of an appointment with Eternity Himself that I had no idea I was attending until He walked in. I was simply being obedient and faithful in the seemingly small thing God had given me for that day.

You see, when God speaks, He uncovers. When God uncovers, He reveals.

Things that may not have been apparent to you, will suddenly be unveiled in His presence.

That is exactly what happened to me on this particular day that I had a date with destiny. I was in the middle of watering some flowers, and that is when I received a revelation that absolutely stunned me.

God spoke...

In one of the small plastic pots, there were 3 hyacinths. These particular flowers have a very large bulb attached to the bottom of them in which holds in all of the nutrients, and this is also where the roots originate and spring forth. Well, being that these flowers had not been watered in almost a week, the soil was incredibly dry with many cracks, and the hyacinths began to uproot themselves out of this neglected soil. The further these flowers pushed themselves out of the soil, the more they began to fall almost completely over and separate themselves entirely from the soil and the pot itself. I tried to place the flower back into its designated spot, but because the soil was so dry, it just crumbled all around the flower and could not hold it up. These flowers were in desperate need of water! I filled up a cup of water and began to pour it into the dry soil. In just seconds, every particle of soil was completely saturated. I gently picked the hyacinth back up and placed it in it’s designated spot, but it still wouldn’t stay. That is when I realized I needed to apply some pressure to it so that it could sink in deep to where it once was originally placed. I gently pressed the bulb back into the soil and applied pressure to it so the roots could began to grow deep once again. I packed down the wet soil all around the once exposed bulb, and within seconds, the flower was tightly packed back in place and standing tall.

As I did this, God began to show me something:

The Flower represents: Us
The Soil: Our Heart
The Pot: Preparation (Where God has placed us for a season)
The Water: Jesus (The Word, The Living Water)

You see, we first need to realize the nature of the plant. These specific flowers are not meant to stay in the pot for their entire lives. The pot only allows the flower a limited place to grow, thus the pot’s purpose is to hold the flower so it can began to grow and produce roots. The pot serves the purpose of preparation. Yet after its intended purpose is completed, the flower is then uprooted from the pot and it is then planted into a garden where there is unlimited space to grow. The flower never asks the Gardner WHY it is in the pot and for how long it will stay, the flower simply does only what it is meant to do; grow.

Are you seeing the similarity in this to your own life? I sure did.

The Lord began to speak to my heart as I was taking care of this flower and this is what He said…

“I have started you off in this place in your life and during this season so you can learn and began to produce and strengthen your roots. My child, this is your foundational preparation. You are in need of two things to grow; the Sun (My Son, Jesus), and Water (The Word, The Living Water). If you are not in contact and close relationship with what I have provided for you, certain things begin to take place.

You will become dry. The saturation of my Word is what keeps you sturdy and standing tall. The living Water is what quenches your thirst. You see, it would be of no use to an actual plant to be watered with anything but water itself. Would a Gardner saturate their flowers with, dare I say juice? I should say not! The flowers need only Water; anything that tries to replace this water will only harm the plant. So it is with my people. Without my Word, without my teachings, my people are left dry and desolate. If they try to strengthen themselves with anything else, it will only end up harming them. So often, the Word is not considered an option to help them grow. They refrain from the Water completely. In doing so, they begin to prematurely uproot themselves from where I have placed them. Their heart becomes dry, cracked, and hardened. Their once pliable heart was saturated with my Word, therefore they did not move. Yet now, they fall away. They fall to their own destruction. I have given them Water but they would not receive it. They think they know better than I! How foolish for the creation to tell the Creator “NO” when a helping and nurturing hand is extended! Just as a plant begins to wilt and lose its color, so do my people slump down into depression and lose their vibrancy of life!

Yet I wait. I wait with diligent patience. Then when I am invited back in, I water them with the Word and life begins to enter into their once dry and desolate hearts. It is then that their hearts have been made pliable again. I gently press them back into their preparation, and I apply pressure onto them to ensure their foundation is sturdy. This is not to hurt them, but to strengthen them. And so their roots begin to grow and my plans begin to come to fruition.

Yet only I know the desired time of uprooting. Where I have placed you to grow, I also have not declared that this is where you will permanently stay. In the appointed time of uprooting, a Gardner digs away and begins to separate the flower from the soil. So it is with my people; I gently begin to remove things out of their life, I separate them from what once held them. I separate them from relationships, friendships, daily patterns, and even locations. I then remove them from preparation and I plant them into their calling. I do nothing out of order, nor do I remove too soon. I know the precise timing for all things, and in all things this is for the good of my people. I am a God of love, thus I lavish love. Never mistake my preparation for you as negligence to your feelings. It is much better for you to withstand the waiting of preparation, than to push your way through without the foundation you would have received if you had waited on my timing. Do you see my heart in this? I hold no good thing from you, instead, I hold onto you for the good thing. My preparation is in love. I always handle you with my everlasting love. For I AM the Great Gardener; through Me all has been created and it is through me that all shall be sustained.”

I pray today that you are encouraged in this simple Truth: the One whom has planted you, knows exactly what you need in order to grow. The One whom is providing all you need to grow, is faithful to make sure you are taken care of in the process.

Be patient, be steadfast.

He who began a good work in you, is faithful to complete it.

Amy Basel