ENCOURAGEMENT Desert Blooms by Alison Bonhomme

DESERT BLOOMS

By Alison Bonhomme

‘Imagine the wilderness whooping for joy, the desert’s unbridled happiness with its spring flowers. It will happen! The deserts will come alive with new growth budding and blooming, singing and celebrating with sheer delight.’(Isaiah 35:1-2 Voice)

Afew years ago, I was headed north, travelling along the ‘Indian Ocean Drive’ toward the Coral Coast of Western Australia to visit family. We had a five hour drive ahead, mostly along a dry stretch of highway with highlights of wheat fields, ocean glimpses and a lot of dry, orange Aussie outback dirt. The region was in the midst of a drought and so these arid desert areas were even drier and dustier than usual. We had been driving for about four hours when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, we captured a glimpse of the most stunning sight. Wildflowers. And lots of them! In the middle of this lifeless desert land was a living miracle. Beautiful desert blooms! In the midst of the driest of seasons, where everything around seems dead, where the air you breathe feels like dust, and you just can’t catch your breath; it’s there that beauty is hiding in the ground. It’s in these moments that He’s doing a work within you that will create something beautiful. Isaiah 61:3 tells us that He will “give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (NKJV). Isn’t that just like our God? To give us beauty for ashes. We love to focus on the coming beauty, but unless we have ashes to give Him; we don’t get the beauty. There’s an exchange that takes place when we hand the dirt and dust of our life over to Him. The brokenness, the disappointment, the lost opportunities, the pain, the heartache, the frustration; as Christians, we get to see these ashes of ours turned into a thing of beauty. There’s no denying this is a tough season and many are in difficult circumstances, but we serve the God who makes “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV). There is beauty coming, there is joy coming, there is a sound of praise coming! I want to encourage you to see God in the midst of the desert and to be assured that there is beauty hidden in the ground. The desert by definition is a desolate, arid, uninhabited wasteland, ill-suited for human habitation. There’s no doubt it’s tough being in the desert. The extreme conditions make life in the desert uncomfortable and unenjoyable. As a result, it’s sometimes hard to sense God when you’re there. I love what Louie Giglio says: “God is always seeking you. Every sunset, every clear blue sky, every ocean wave, the starry host of night. He blankets each day with the invitation, ‘I am here.’” Beauty blossoms, even in the desert and perhaps even in spite of it. In the midst of the restrictions and regulations, the disruption of schedules and plans, there’s an underlying sense of dry, desert desolation amongst many. If 2020 isn’t looking how you planned and perhaps you’re finding this season tough, be encouraged that it is just a season. This is not your forever. This too will pass. And out of this season, lessons will be learned, faith will be strengthened and beauty will blossom.

Alison Bonhomme and her husband Brad are the Senior Pastors at Horizon Church. She has over a decade of professional experience in public and corporate health management, holds a Bachelor of Science (Health Sciences, Health & Safety) and postgraduate qualifications in Theology. .