FIVE-YEAR BAMBOO
A species of Chinese bamboo has a remarkable growth cycle. The owner plants a seed, then waters and fertilizes it for a year with no results. He repeats this process a second year. Still nothing happens. The third year passes, then the fourth. Meanwhile, the farmer continues to faithfully water and fertilize his bamboo seed, witnessing no growth. The fifth year arrives, and something amazing happens. In a period of six weeks, the Chinese bamboo tree grows roughly ninety feet!
Five years is a long time to wait for bamboo to sprout. But we’ve all found ourselves in similar situations, wringing our hands in anxiety, wondering if our situation is ever going to change. It feels as if we’re perpetually stuck at year four-and-a-half. During those times, God’s simple instruction is to trust Him and “wait.” In Psalms 40:1 David says, “I waited and waited and waited some more” (TPT). (Can I get a witness?) The word “wait” in Hebrew doesn’t mean, sitting idly in boredom, staring zombie-like into space. It can be translated “tie together by twisting” or “entwine.” Psalms 27:14 declares, “Don’t give up; don’t be impatient. Be entwined as one with the Lord” (TPT). “Waiting” provides us with wonderful opportunities to align our hearts with God’s purpose; to entwine ourselves with Him.
Persevering without tangible results is about as easy as sitting on a hot stove. One minute feels like forever. But it's the means God uses to teach us endurance and trust. In the book of Genesis, Joseph “sheltered in place” as a slave and prisoner for thirteen years. Then in one day, he was elevated to ruler of Egypt. Joseph probably endured many lonely nights when he felt like giving up on God. But he didn’t.
Let’s face it. “Sheltering in Place” is getting really old. Most of us are fed up with it, and anxious for things to “get back to normal.” Then, when we think it’s just about over, the chief medical officer of our county, states things will continue as they are for another month or more. It can be disheartening.
When we find ourselves in those seasons of "watering and fertilizing," we must not lose hope. Instead, “wait upon the LORD.” Spend our days becoming “entwined as one” with Him. Then one day, we’ll experience breakthrough and discover our “bamboo” has sprouted ninety feet.
Principle: Do not lose hope in times of waiting on the Lord.
Promise: Entwine our hearts as one with the Lord, and He will carry us through adversity.
Ponder:
What difficult times of waiting am I currently experiencing, or have recently experienced?
What does "entwining" myself with God look like for me on a daily basis?
Prayer: Father God, help me to entwine myself with you during these difficult times. Show me what "waiting" truly means.
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Psalms 25 and 27.
Perceptions: Record any ideas God puts on your heart from today’s devotional through art, poetry, a memory, etc.