Season of Hope by Jennifer Stewart

Season of Hope

by Jennifer Stewart

Winter came more quickly than expected this year.

The blossoms on my Dahlia plants did not stand a chance against the blast of freezing air.

Tomorrow it’s supposed to be 9° and this is the first time I will experience these extreme temperatures - it’s October 23rd, 2020. Since March I have gently tended, loved, fertilized, and admired these flowers. Their beauty as they unfurled their vibrant petals took my breath away. Yesterday they all turned black and faded.

All hope is not lost. I know what is in the soil I know how healthy those roots are. Now there is a lot of work to do! I will be putting these gems to bed, dividing them, and carefully storing them through the long cold winter. They will rise to their past glory again and probably even surpass it! 

Throughout the summer and our one week of fall, I would water my flower patch and pray.

My prayers covered everything from my daily tasks, my meth-addicted stepdaughter, and building a house to my community, government, and the president. Each moment of prayer is a moment I chose to hope in the power of the Living God. Abba, Yahweh, Jehovah, my Provider, Comforter and ALL-Powerful King on the Throne of Heaven and all there is. 

In Psalm 141:2 King David the ruler of Israel, and a man after God’s own heart (in spite of his many, many failings) asks that his prayer be counted as incense before God. He pours out his heart in prayer throughout the Psalms. Sometimes weeping, sometimes in anger, fear, or exuberant joy. Nothing is off-limits to say to God or lay at His feet. It is in this release that we find the most hope. It is no longer in our scrawny hands; it is in THE HANDS. 

Now that the season for growing and watering plants is over, I’m starting on cultivating the soil.

I’m preparing it for new growth in spring, feeding it a nutrient dense diet, and letting it rest.

Darkness cannot take over so fully that light will be snuffed out.

Vibrancy and beauty will come around again.

Did you know, Revelation 5:8 paints a celestial picture of the prayers of the saints as the incense filling golden bowls, brought before the Lamb? Our prayers are not forgotten.

They are a lingering essential oil filling the throne room of God. 

 In spite of what feels like a dark season, God is at work.

Our roots run deep and with compassionate nourishment of His people, He will grow us into his glorious creation.  

Because of this, my hope remains steadfast. 

— Jennifer Stewart

Bio:

Jennifer Stewart is a peacemaking, joy loving, team-playing human being. She moved to Idaho in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic and has begun building a house with her family. She has plans to get her bachelor’s degree in the school of life, while starting a flower farm that helps rescue victims of sex-trafficking. Jennifer lives with her wonderful husband, Eric, and three youngest children.