New Life...

As Spring is here (only a few days in) I am reminded of the miracle of it all. How everything is lifeless and painful to look at (dead and brown at least in Minneapolis, MN) until the rain, sun, and warmth changes all that. New life is all around and the eye cannot miss the green coming forth from the brown lifeless ground. We celebrated the birth of our daughter, Savannah Rain Daugherty, on the first of spring and it was raining cleansing the ground by God's gracious power. We now have yet another reason to Worship God in Spring as a family. Although we have had the snow melted for some time now even and epic early season for outdoor beauty (a few days in the 80s), it has not passed our attention how Great our God is! We have been amazed at the difficult seasons and trials that have come to our family through multiple miscarriages and heartbreaks and yet our faithful Lord renews us, restores us, and gives us reason to worship. As He takes us out of the winter season, He brings new life and joy that is indescribable. The brown grass, leafless trees and shrubs, and black dirt all see the hints our our Creator bringing about green shoots and life to it all for our enjoyment. I often wonder how often we enjoy creation though and forget out Creator in it all?

One passage came to mind this morning from Lamentations 3:19-24, which to get its context, the Prophet Jeremiah has been trying to persuade and point out to God's people how judgment is coming and is here because of their leaving God for the idolatry (worshiping of anything but God) of basically everything. Jeremiah was a sad, depressed, and broken man and wanting to see God's justice and deliverance and so he writes some of the most spring-like and resurrection words we can see in the Old Testament that gives us a picture of Jesus:

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
   the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
   and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
   and therefore I have hope:

 ²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for him.”

I cannot help but think about what our great God has ultimately done through His, Son Jesus Christ. He sent Jesus to earth with one main purpose, to come and die for the penalty of sin which opens the possibility of restoring humanity back to God Himself. Jesus death not only satisfied the wrath of God by literally dying on the cross, but brought us back to Him through His resurrection giving us new life. joy, and purpose with the ability to rightly worship. Everything was dead and lifeless until that spring Sunday morning with folks going to a tomb that they found to be empty! This was and is a new glimpse of what spring is...death to life all pointing to God our Creator and what He has done through His Son, Jesus and our life in Him. He has given us His Spirit to convict, renew, and worship in spirit and in truth. The miracle of new life and spring!