Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1 NIV)
This last month there has been a sentiment repeated by several in my community, and it has become a steadfast prayer of my heart. Let me give some background.
We yearn for people to experience Christ's deep love for them and to choose to follow Jesus. Often times, we have been praying over people for lengthy periods of time, have been having intentional conversations with them about who Jesus is, and telling them of His deep love. Sometimes we even see these people begin to take promising steps towards Jesus.
And yet they still haven’t had *the moment.*
It was from this context, during one of our times of prayer, a woman in my community shared the insight that this waiting is similar to the growth and blooming of seeds. There is nothing you can do to force a seed to sprout or to force a bloom to burst forth with color. Only the Creator can do such things, and they always happen in His timing. So I’ve begun praying this prayer:
“Lord bring forth blooming”
I experienced this waiting in it's literal sense this week. I recently planted some herbs and flowers and have anxiously been watching them for signs of green little shoots. As of yesterday two of my three pots have sprouted! Which brought me back to this prayer. Looking at my little pots, I know there is nothing that I can do (other than remaining faithful to water them and set them in the sun) to make them sprout or blossom. But I know the Lord calls forth blooming in the proper time. I was comforted by the reminder that if the Lord holds my little plants with such care and precise timing, how much more tenderly does He hold the hearts of those we pray for.
May we rejoice that the Holy Spirit does the work. And may we remain faithful in the waiting.