Sometimes you have to have faith like tulips. Sounds strange I know. But think about it. Tulip bulbs are planted way before the leaves ever peek their heads through the earth in Spring. They are put into the ground and spend months in darkness. They go through the long hard winter waiting for their due season. No one can see what is happening under the ground. But the tulip knows there is something better than the present cold, damp and weighted soil that covers it. So it patiently clings to the promise of something not yet seen. Then at just the right time that bulb will finally crack and hints of green life begin to make an appearance. The tulip leaves break through the hardness of the bulb that confined it for a season. Now the plant embarks on the next phase of its journey as the leaves begin to push through that soil. Up up up they go. Slowly but steadily they keep striving towards their goal. The leaves keep pressing through the hard, cold and often still frozen ground because something worth striving for awaits them on the other side of their current surroundings. Their perseverance is rewarded and finally they break through the darkness and leaves emerge out of the ground. At times the ground stubbornly holds tightly to the winter cold by greeting the leaves with the frost of a remnant snowfall. This is of little concern to the triumphant leaves. The plant knows it is just a matter of time before the warmth of sunny days will blanket the earth again. Then at last the once hardened dirt covered bulb will evolve into the promise of a beautiful tulip.
FAITH!
The gardener has his story too. His desire is to enjoy the beauty of tulips in the Spring. So he plants tulip bulbs the previous fall, months before he will ever see his garden graced with blooming tulips. He drops the hard dry bulbs into the ground and covers them with the soil. Then he forgets about them. He does not go back to dig them up in order to check on their progress. He does not worry that the bulb will not yield leaves. He does not worry that the leaves will not be able to push through the frozen earth. He does not worry that his garden will not yield tulips for his enjoyment. He simply trusts that at the right time that bulb is going to crack open, the leaves will make their way through the soil and one day he will look out his window and he will see tulips!
FAITH!
The book of Hebrews in the Bible introduces itself by telling us that faith is hoping and believing for something we have not seen evidence of yet. If you ever need a “faith booster” I challenge you to read what the writer of Hebrews has to say about faith. The eleventh chapter specifically names some amazing Old Testament faith giants. By faith…Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, David, Samuel…by faith, by faith, by faith! (Hebrews 11:4-31 NIV). Read these testimonies of faith. You will be inspired and recharged to keep hoping, keep believing, keep walking, keep living…by faith.
So friend, I pose this question now.
Are you the gardener or are you the tulip today?
If you are the gardener I encourage you to keep believing. Your sowing will not be in vain. Trust God to provide what is needed for the seeds you have planted in your life and in the lives of others. Don’t worry about how you will “make” something grow. It may take months or it may take years. Remember, by faith, Abram let God change his name to Abraham which meant father of a multitude. When he took on that name at ninety nine years of age he was way past his prime. (Gen 17:1-5 NIV) Yet when Abraham was one hundred years old his son Isaac was born. (Gen 21:5 NIV) Then there is the story of a boy named David. By Faith David allowed the prophet Samuel to anoint him to be king. But he was only a youth tending sheep when Samuel sought him out among his seven brothers and poured anointing oil on his head. (1 Samuel 16:10-13 NIV) It would be many years before David actually walked the palace floors in his role of a king. He faithfully served King Saul in the palace by first playing his lyre to soothe the tormented king long before he ever took the throne that once belonged to Saul.(1 Samuel 16:23 NIV) By faith Abraham and David waited for their promise.
If you are the tulip, keep pressing forth. I know some days the ground seems too hard, too cold, and too dark. You get weary. You want to quit. You may even wish for the days you were safe in the confines of your “bulb” where there seemed to be no struggle. Please! Keep going and keep growing. Cling to your promise. God never said the journey would be easy. That is why he travels it with you. He promises to stay by us to the end. (Mt 28:20 NIV) Remember Noah and all the ridicule he surely took for building the ark? God warned Noah that there was going to be a devastating flood. Yet no one had even seen rain fall from the sky up to this point in Biblical history. (Gen 2:6) The blue print for the ark was not a weekend “fixer upper” project. But even so, Noah kept pushing through in God’s plans to finish building this massive four hundred and fifty foot ship (Gen 6:15 NIV) which would ultimately become a floating zoo! (Gen 7:8-10 NIV) He had a promise that he and his family would be saved in the midst of devastation. So he pressed through day after day in spite of the great challenges he must have encountered. The Bible says Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters came and he and his family entered the safety of the ark. (Gen 7:6 NIV) By faith Noah waited for his promise.
As I read the stories of these men and women of great faith over and over again, I cannot help but gratefully reflect on my own faith story. God has been so faithful to me over the years and has graciously delivered many promises to me already. But even now, I have a number of promises I am still believing for. Promises for my children and for my grandchildren. Promises for my husband and myself together. Promises for myself personally. I have written them down and even though they may take time to manifest, I know they will come to pass at their appointed time. (Habakuk 2:2-3 NKJV)
Now my friend, I ask you to ponder these questions.
What promises are you believing God for today?
What have you planted in faith with the hope of a beautiful harvest in due season?
I encourage you to lay hold of your promises and do not let go. A dear sister in Christ who is a mighty prayer warrior shared a sweet word with me that the Lord had dropped into her spirit one Sunday morning. In the middle of our worship service He simply said to her, “Don’t give up on the prayers I have not answered yet.” Did you catch that last word? YET! That spoke volumes to me. I may forget some of the things I used to pray for at times but God never forgets. The promise is for an appointed time. Wait for it. God keeps his promises!
I encourage you to let God resurrect the promises you may have forgotten. I encourage you to write them down. I encourage you to keep going, keep believing, keep pressing forth. If God can give a tulip what it needs to bloom, how much more will He give his children? Faith like tulips…it’s a beautiful thing.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Heb 10:36)
PS: I would love to pray for you. What is a promise you are believing God for? Leave a comment and let’s join our “tulip faith” together!
Photo Credits:
Single Pink tulip: unsplash.com
Gardener’s hands: unsplash.com
Field of tulips: unsplash.com
Tulip leaves in snow: Kathy Pauls
I am in such a strange season of being both the gardener and the bulb. I have a daughter who has chosen not to follow Christ and I pray daily (no, hourly) for her heart to change. I also work with women who are in the darkest times of their lives as they finally seek healing and recovery from sexual abuse. I trust in the Lord to grow the seeds that have been planted.
I am the seed because I KNOW the Lord has called me to do some challenging things and I am not on the other side of them yet. I can’t see the outcome because I am buried in the daily obedience, but I trust His mighty hand and know He wants good for me!
Blessings to you!
This is so beyond beautiful Rosie! I never thought of that how a tulip bulb remains hidden in the dark cold ground for many months before the promise of spring manifests! I love this!! Much love to you sweet sister! ❤
What a sweet story!! Thank you for sharing!
Oh, this is beautiful! I’ve always loved tulips and know even more so. From now on I’ll look at them and see the promises God is patiently waiting to fulfill and pray that my heart continues to patiently wait on them too!!
Hi Kristi. I am always amazed at how God speaks through our hearts in simple everyday things. I am glad you were inspired. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Blessings!
I loved reading this post! So beautiful and true.
It has added meaning to me. My confirmation sponsor was my aunt. We were asked to discuss how we saw God in the world. She said tulips because of how beautiful they are on the inside. They look like they’ve been painted.
Wow!!, this is very beautifully written, powerful and loaded with truth and very pictorial. You brought it out so gracefully that in the end, I started looking at my own faith story and realized the umpteen times God has been faithful and in the waiting, in the end, I was never disappointed. Thank you ..
I love your tulip analogy and a very timely reminder for me as well not to give up on what Abba has promised me. Thank you for being obedient and allowing God to use you to write this piece. Blessings!
Trishana, I am glad this story spoke to you. Hold on to those promises. They art for an appointed time. Blessings.
Perfect! I sometimes (ok, often) become discouraged thinking that the seeds I’m planting are not growing. But I know it’s God’s job to grow the seeds. He’s the BEST manager.
Thanks Rosie. I love your bright, cheerful photos.
April
I know April. I guess it doesn’t matter how old we get…no finger pointing lol…God is always teaching us how to wait. His timing is perfect. Thanks for stopping by again friend. God bless.
It’s been a weary season for me over the past months. However, God recently reminded me to not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season I will reap a harvest if I don’t give. Of course, that’s easier said than done but hearing him speak that to my soul has been so helpful. I often have to remind myself of this on the daily, but he’s faithful.
Hello Rosanna. I understand so well those seasons of weariness. But we keep pressing forth knowing he is with us each step of the way. Yes, he is faithful. Don’t give up. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Blessings!
We must be planting faith every single day – NOT fear!
Truth! We can give in to fear or choose to walk in faith! Thanks Andrea. God bless!
This is true. Plant the seed and God will do the rest. My husband and I kept praying and talkig with my brother. But it seemed hopeless, no matter what we said, he had an answer for everything. We left him alone and just prayed for him. We knew that no matter what we said he was just listening with his mind and not his heart. But we serve an almighgy God, and my brother now has salvation. I am going to write my prayer list down just because it will be another constant reminder of how great our Lord is. Thank you Rosie!
Norma thank you for such an inspiring testimony. We cannot give up praying for our loved ones who do not yet know the Lord. I rejoice with you over your brother’s salvation. Keep pressing forth. It will be worth it! Blessings to you always.
This was so wonderful!! So many nuggets of wisdom and truth. Thank you for your encouragement to hold fast to the promises God has spoken. Today I heard on the radio, is there a dream you arn’t dreaming because you are lacking courage. I want to dream the dreams God has placed in my heart together with the promises He has whispered. Thank you for reminding me to persevere even though the tulip hasn’t appeared to break ground. This blog was a gift!
Hi Leslie. I am glad you enjoyed this post and that you were encouraged. Keep clinging to every promise and dream God has put into your heart. It is for an appointed time but it will happen! Blessings to you Leslie.
Wow, this is wonderful. The analogy is perfect and the exposition evocative. Didn’t know something planted could survive underground for months before growing. Amazing! Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you Edith. I am glad you enjoyed the post. It is amazing when you think about it. But I think many times God does his best work in us during those “dark and hidden seasons of life. Just like the tulips waiting for Spring! God bless you and come back to visit!
I love the way you described our faith and how it takes time for God to lead us where he has planned the whole time. I am believing my King for my health as I have struggled not for over 7 plus years. I am also believing him for my son’s success in the military.
Making Joy Contagious,
Desiree
Desiree thank you for sharing your thoughts. I will pray and believe with you for health as well as for your son’s success. Thank you for visiting today. God bless you.
When I think of prayer, I am always reminded of this Scripture from Daniel when Gabriel comes to Daniel after his prayer and says:
He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. AS SOON AS YOU BEGAN TO PRAY, AN ANSWER WAS GIVEN, for you are highly esteemed.” Daniel 9:22-23
As soon as we begin to pray to our good God, He begins to set things in motion. How blessed are we to have the ear of the Creator of all living things because of His grace!
Thank you Rosie for this beautiful devotion. I pray every day for more faith and more trust in my beloved Savior and Lord so I can be more like the farmer and the tulip in this devotion. Love you dear friend. May God richly bless you for bringing us this inspiration.
Debbie thank you for sharing your thoughts once again. I agree wholeheartedly…God hears each prayer we utter! And as we wait on him our faith is made stronger knowing that He will come through in his way and his timing. Love you sweet friend. Glad to be on this faith journey with you!
This is beyond perfect. This was right on time. We have a PERFECT GOD. I’m trusting God for a clerk of court job. I’m believing he’s putting things in place even though I may not see or sometimes understand. But I know he is working on my behalf.
Hi Yanique. Thank you for visiting and for your comment. I pray God will give you favor with your job and open the doors only he can open for you! Blessings!
This is the way it is. I waited for my “escape” from life’s sins. Then when I least expected it,there it was. A light. A glimmer of hope. Now for the past twenty-four years I have lived in pure fulfillment. In God’s good graces. He opened my eyes and blessed me like no other. Today I walk in his light. My message to everyone is put it in God’s hands and all things will turn out right. I am living proof of the promise that God will intercede.
Hello Velma. Thank you for sharing such a lovey testimony. God’s grace is truly the most beautiful gift any of us could ever receive.! I know he will continue to perfect his work in your life. God bless you!
This is perfect! I can testify to the truth you have spoken here too! While I am certainly still waiting for the answers to many prayers, I see God working mightily too. Answering prayers from years and years of fervent petitioning. His timing is best and I SO look forward to enjoying the blooms! Thanks again for such a beautiful crafting of words to point us all to truth!
Hello Esther. This is one reason I love to journal my prayers. It is so awesome to go back and see what God has done over time. He is so faithful. Keep pressing onward sister. It will be worth it! Thanks for visiting and God bless you!
What a beautiful metaphor! Great post 🙂
Thank you Kristen. I am glad it spoke to you! Blessings.
Thank you Rosie. This speaks volumes to me! My family is going through tough times and I have been praying for the salvation of all of them. Their eyes are not focused on God but everything in the world. My heart aches for them. So my prayers will go on for all of them. There is resentment towards each other from past things.
So each day seems like a hopeless endeavor, but my God can soften their hearts and allow healing to occur in all of our lives! God is alive and well and is waiting for them to cry out to Him.
Hallelujah!
Hi Barb. Yes God is always at work. We just have to keep praying and believing for those “tulips” which are God’s promises to bloom! And they will. Don’t give up! Thanks for visiting again. Blessings.
Beautiful analogy Rosie?
Thanks for the reminder!
Never giving up!?
Thank you Jan. A good reminder for the reader AND the writer. 🙂 Let’s keep pressing on together. Our tulip harvest is coming!