"For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow..." (Isaiah 61:11)
Today is Good Friday, the day we remember everything Jesus did for us on the cross and the sacrifice made on the very first Good Friday. The day grace poured out like living water, the day that brought the gift of forgiveness and hope to a sin-filled world. In this sacrifice, we find freedom and life to the full.
In today's passage, we read about the new life, the hope of these small young sprouts in the garden. Back on day 14, we read about the oaks of righteousness, there is something so majestic about a great oak, a tree that has lived for maybe thousands of years. A tree that is growing and living, that weathers winters and summers. They are a symbol of wisdom, of integrity, of strength, and of fruitfulness but all oaks have humble beginnings, like the sprouts in v 11 that give way to righteousness and praise spinning up.
These young sprouts have purpose in God’s creation. We have purpose in God’s creation. The broken-hearted, the poor, the captives, the prisoners, all of us have an invitation, through Jesus and his death on the cross, to be an oak of righteousness.
What can we be doing to take our growth seriously? Oaks don’t just spring out of nowhere, they require good soil, the right nutrients, daylight and water, and deep roots to grow well.
Scripture will feed us, community will root us, our prayer life and the spirit are water to our soul.
What do you need to grow well and how are you making space for that each day?
