Does anyone remember the vivid picture of the field of dandelions portrayed to us at the close of Stoneleigh Bible Week 2001? I had such a new experience today. I was walking home from the shops (about a half hour walk) and was enjoying the warm weather and suddenly became aware that I was counting the amount of dandelions that were lining the grass verges and the pavement. As I counted, I felt God began to speak to me about "being like a dandelion". This is what He said;"See how the dandelion gets everywhere. There is no place it cannot go. It can even spring up between the cracks of the pavements. It springs up on hard, rocky ground where other plants cannot flourish. It appears in the middle of nice, ordered, arranged flower beds where it is not welcome. It survives people trampling it. It survives being dug up for if it is, another will spring up in it's place. You can see it grow in groups but you can also spy it alone, although count on it - another will not be far away! There's a remarkable beauty in the dandelion but it's primary feature isn't for show. The primary purpose of the dandelion is the wonderful cycle of ensuring that it's seeds are spread. It is a "Mobile" plant.
The dandelion does not have particularly deep roots. It acts as though it is a stranger in an alien land. It lives ... to spread. It does not act like the great oak, that buries it's roots deep in the earth as immovable as any of My creations plants.
Watch the seeds as they almost hang poised, waiting ... waiting for what? For the wind. The dandelion seeds are at the utter control of the wind. They will be carried as far as It blows. When the wind dies down, the seed will drop and there it will plant and grow. The spread of the dandelion is relentless and militant. It cannot be stopped and it cannot be controlled. It's growth cannot be guided or directed by man - only by the Wind.
So it should be with My Church. Do you walk with the confidence of a Church whose advance is guaranteed? Do you pray with the faith of a Body that knows it cannot be stopped? Do you hang poised ready and waiting for the Wind of My Spirit to blow to take you to the uttermost parts of the earth? Or are you too busy digging deep with your roots carving out a life for you in this temporary age? Are you ready to go? Are you listening for the sounds of the Wind? Are you willing to go when He comes?".
1 comment:
It is very interesting having observed dandelions through working my wife's allotment. Dandelions are a pest. They can have their flowers cut off and they just grow new ones. They are tough and keep on spreading. They can easily take over an allotment - and other people's too!
It is interesting the point about roots. For a weed, dandelions have relatively long roots. But compared to other plants (like mighty oaks) the roots are very shallow.
So we need some roots. We need to make sure that we sink deep into God and grow strong and secure so that nothing can dig us up. But at the same time as that our vision has to be "where next?" And as soon as possible we are ready for the next place.
A dandelion can take root very quickly. Flowers can appear in a couple of weeks. So it is rooting and is very quickly ready for the next breath of wind.
An awesome picture. A church that is prepared for the wind at all times. A church that is prepared to land and grow in the most hostile of environments - and is prepared to grow even when it is not welcome. Spreading all over the earth...
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