Carefully patting the dirt around the base of the seedling, we stepped back to observe our work. Six years old, I was helping my dad plant a small weeping willow in the center of our otherwise barren backyard. When we moved soon afterward, I didn’t understand why the tree couldn’t go with us. I thought it was for me. Ten years later, when we moved yet again, our new backyard was beautifully landscaped, and in the very center stood—you guessed it—a magnificent weeping willow. It was as if my simple sacrifice years before—leaving that prized willow sapling behind—had somehow been rewarded.
During Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry, Jerusalem had been besieged, the land destroyed, and some of its finest taken into captivity. God Himself had told them to settle in for a long haul in a foreign land (Jeremiah 29:4-6). The faithful remnant must have wondered where God was in the midst of the chaos. For few willingly embrace surrender when living in the expectation of a promise.
God, however, remains insistent that we live in His will, not our own. Out of great love, God takes us to places of seemingly no return in order to make us totally dependent on Him (Hosea 6:1-2). In the moment, no amount of posturing or spin can make desolation seem a blessing. And yet, in truth, it is with God.
We can sometimes get drawn into a sense of entitlement. We feel as if God “owes” us. That’s why we need desolate places in life. The sacrifices in the journey can often be excruciating, sometimes feeling much like death.
But it is in these places we learn the holiness of surrender. To give up what we wanted to keep—without condition. We learn to hope, believing that God’s restoration is greater than any discomfort we may feel today.
More:
• Lamentations 3:17-26
• Jeremiah 31:3-6
• Psalm 31:21-24
Next:
What desolate places have you experienced lately? What is God teaching you about your level of dependency on Him? When in the position of surrender, do you find yourself angry or hopeful? Why?
fieldlily on August 15, 2010 at 6:55 am
You are so right! Thank you! In my head I understand all these things and in my heart I know they are true. But my sinful self tells me that I want something, right now! God says to wait but when I give way to my “self” I enter into a desolate waste land where nothing seems right. I am discontented with everything I see, everything feels like it is falling apart, all because I took my eyes off of Him and put them on myself. This is my emotional captivity that I landed in because I wasn’t trusting God to provide His best for me at the right time. I wanted what I thought was best for me at my best time, now!
A shepherd is said to break the legs of a lamb who has a tendency to wander off. I believe this is what the Lord was doing to the Israelites when He sent them into captivity.
Sometimes He asks us to bloom where we are planted because that is the best place for us to be at that time. Some plants take a while after planting to produce fruit, so we need to wait and be patient or we will miss out on the blessings coming our way. When the time is right He will take us to the best place ever, to Heaven to be with Him.
regina franklin on August 15, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Dear fieldlily–I understand. May the Lord continue to bring you His peace and may you continue to trust in His faithfulness as He delivers you. He is the One who sets us free–even from our places of “emotional captivity.” Believing with you in the goodness of God.
bethanyF on August 15, 2010 at 9:06 am
This devotional was so refreshing today. I have lately felt like I was in a desolate place. I know I am not though because I have the Lord. I thank him for all he teaches me.
regina franklin on August 15, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Bethany–praying for you today. May you see the goodness of His hand and the strength of His love for you.
Soldier4Christ on August 15, 2010 at 4:58 pm
This devotional reminds me of the song ” I surrender all, all to Jesus I surrender, I surrender all. ”
Not too long ago The Lord brought me to a place in my life where He wanted me to give up something that I cherished and in the natural man I enjoyed, I am sad to say that it took a while before I gave it up but finally I knew that if I wanted to move forward I had to give this thing up without looking back. It was hard at first but I know that it was necessary and I know that it was the will of God. And as a result I thank God for His patience with me and for the lesson that I have learned as a result.
regina franklin on August 15, 2010 at 5:43 pm
How good to remember–God is not only good, He is patient with us.
He is not only the One cultivating the beauty in our lives but He is the One comforting us when the process is painful.