White Blossoms in the Dark

It’s January, and the blossom trees are coming out.

The other night as my mom and I pulled into the Vons parking lot to pick up a couple of things, they startled me again, the clouds of snowy blossoms on slender saplings between the rows of cars, white and somehow brilliant, blossoms in the dark.

Things have seemed rather dark in some ways the past few days, though I am trying to trust and hold onto the promises that the Lord is working in all the parts that are hard. But these blossoms, delicate yet somehow strong, unfazed by the night dense around them, ministered to my heart. 

So I decided to search “blossom” on biblegateway.com, just see what came up. Quite a few verses did, actually, but this passage struck me the most, one that has ministered to me many times. May the Lord bless you through it too, whatever you may be facing now. And show you the blossoms He is unfolding, even in the darkness.

“The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God. Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, ‘Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.

The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water…

And the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

~Isaiah 35:1-6,10