Growing Promises

God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again. PHILIPPIANS 1:6 NCV 

Only once in the history of the world have plants grown without anyone getting their hands dirty: when God spoke them into existence on the third day of creation. (Can you imagine how many plants we’d have if we possessed the ability to conjure them with words?!) 

Growing plants involves some griminess and exertion. As plant ladies, we find joy in the process despite the dirt. What bothers us is waiting for growth to happen. We get impatient. We sow a seed today and want to see the full-grown plant tomorrow. Crazy vegetable plant ladies really feel this—it’s extra difficult for them to wait to eat the fruits of their labor! 

But growth takes time. Growth takes patience. Growth takes faith that the process is working even when you don’t see immediate results. 

Our spiritual growth is not unlike a plant’s physical growth. We pray to God today, expecting an answer tomorrow. We start going to church and want to feel comfortable right away. We offer forgiveness anticipating a release from pain to follow immediately. 

Growth isn’t instantaneous. It’s a process, and we won’t see immediate results most of the time. To grow requires faith that God is working in us even when we don’t feel it. If we believe that God has begun a good work in us, we can be confident He will keep His word to see it through to completion. He won’t give up on us halfway through the process. He’s working in us as tiny figurative seeds growing beneath the soil’s surface. He’s working in us as we experience that breakthrough moment when we start to see results. And He will continue to work in us as we grow and mature. He will never stop working in us for our good and for His glory. 

God, thank You for working in me to become more like Jesus. Thank You that You never stop this work. Help me trust You even when I don’t feel or see growth occurring. 

This is an excerpt from Playing in the Dirt: 90 Devotions for Crazy Plant Ladies a new devotional journal now available for pre-order on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.