Your Hardest Place Is Where God Can Create What You’d NEVER Expect
A few days ago I was reading and God made a verse jump right out at me.
Psalm 81:16
“but I would feed you the finest wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Honey… from a rock.
That doesn’t make sense.
Honey was a luxury. Especially in the desert! It was abundance. It was sweetness, richness, it was not ordinary.
In other sections of the Bible it’s spoken of being refreshing and strengthening.
And a rock?
A rock is barren. Hard. Unyielding. Nothing grows there.
If you were weary and I handed you a rock you would NOT feel refreshed or strengthened. You'd want to throw it right back in my face I'm sure.
And yet… God says He can bring that kind of richness… from that kind of place.
The richest things in my life didn’t come from easy seasons.
They came from the ones I would have NEVER chosen.
The years I was so sick I could barely function…
I couldn’t see all the good in them at the time.
But that’s usually how it works, right?
We don’t see what God is building while it’s forming.
We see it later… when we can finally step back and see the beauty God carved into it.
Looking back now?
I see the honey.
I see my kids… who became completely different human beings because they watched their mom walk through something hard.
They became kind. Compassionate. Aware.
Honestly, I think it shaped them into better husbands than they would have been otherwise.
I see my relationship with Jesus in a place I didn’t even know existed.
A level of surrender that is both deep and freeing at the same time.
I see my marriage… strengthened and refined in ways that would have NEVER happened if life had just stayed easy.
I see knowledge and wisdom about my health that I didn’t know I needed.
I see people… incredible, beautiful people I never would have met if that season hadn’t redirected my path.
And I see something in myself I didn’t know was there:
strength, perseverance, hope, faith, and determination.
All of that…
From a rocky, seemingly barren place.
Honey from the rock.
He kept His promise. Enjoying these things many tears, prayers, struggles, and YEARS later IS deeply satisfying. (Even though I STILL have many health issues as we speak…)
And I know so many of you are in that place right now. I am feeling this from every side of me: family, friends, and acquaintances.
Satan is working VERY HARD right now, harder than he ever has because he realizes his time is short!
It feels hard and dark.
Dry and unmoving.
Like nothing good could possibly come out of it.
I promise you I GET IT. I LIVED IT for so many years. And in some areas, I'm STILL living it!
But friend…
God is never limited by the environment you’re in.
He can bring richness where there should be none.
He can bring sweetness out of what seems bitter.
He can create something in you and through you that could have come NO other way.
Not because the “hard” thing is good…
But because He is.
If you let Him, He will bring a depth and richness into your life that you didn’t even know existed.
So don’t give up.
Even if you can’t see it yet…
Even if it still just feels like rock…
There is honey forming.
You are so loved.
You matter more than you can possibly imagine.
And God is not wasting this season.
PLEASE stop avoiding, hating, or being bitter about your hard season. It will prolong your suffering and stunt the honey formation.
If you let Him, God will bring a richness into your life that could have come no other way.
I can say this because I’ve seen Him pretty much resurrect me and my circumstances from the dead!
In passionate purpose,
Dorothy
PS: There are KEYS to unlocking this “honey” being formed out of your circumstances. I didn’t realize it at the time, but now that I look back, I was doing them. Stay tuned, we will talk about them in the future.
Have you grabbed my free 5 day devotional?
https://ignite.passionatepurposeschool.com/