Teach my Song

One of the best blooms in our garden is shooting up out of a very drought stricken little cactus pot. The plant itself looks as if it might have been on the verge of death. It has, nonetheless, courageously reached for the sky; with long, delicate cords culminating in a fire works display of pinkish exclamation marks delicately balanced at its tips.

I found myself wondering if it would have produced such loveliness had it been watered more regularly. It seems to me that its trial has brought forth its treasure.

“Teach my song to rise to you, when temptation comes my way.” We sang those words at church this morning. Temptation to do what? Complain, worry, agonise, give up, panic, sink into self pity or the depths of despair, perhaps? When it’s tempting to throw in the towel, maybe that’s when we discover there is more to us and, more importantly, infinitely more to God. And just like that little plant, we throw up all that we’ve got and discover a colour, fragrance and display of splendour that surprises us.

When the sun sets in our circumstances and the darkness creeps in thick and steady, there is a moon steadily rising if we will only wait up to see it. It literally happened yesterday evening. We were driving as all the brightness of the day was done and the shadows overtook the last vibrant glow in the west. In the east, a shining orb of hope popped smiling and golden over the mountains like a bubble. Appearing as a golden coin suspended and then steadily rising in the deep blue, it had us mesmerised. The sun did set, but the moon rose and utterly transformed the night.

Miracles occur when we come to the end of ourselves. For a nation trapped between soldiers and the sea, the waves parted. Thousands of hungry people in the countryside really needed that little basket of fish and loaves to multiply. A wedding banquet was ruined unless water turned into wine.

There is divine order and, yet, an almost predictable sense that we can expect the unexpected.

The planets are spinning, the stars are sparkling, the moon is reflecting and the sun burns steady and bright. All of creation is in fine balance, dancing according to a magnificent choreograph. I cannot comprehend. “Don’t think too hard about it Mom, you’ll get nauseous,” said one of the children. They thought their mother was getting into a tangle trying to make sense of the world, never mind the universe, and I was. The mystery of it all is beyond me.

For now, I see a comforting pattern emerging and that is enough. All good seeds need to surrender in spaces that seem deep and dark before a scene of growth, discovery and surprise can unfold. When it feels like famine or the end of the day, I will lift my eyes and my voice to the One who is just waiting to reveal the next magnificent part of the story.

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places. – Isaiah 45 v 3