Drink from the Source – Part 2

The theme—we are continuing with the same main theme, drawing from the fountain—but the theme we are going to share this afternoon is more specific. It is entitled “Drawing from the Fountain in Order to Flourish.” We are all called to flourish, but before getting into the theme, I want to thank my daughter-in-law, María—peek out over there—my daughter-in-law, whom I introduced at the beginning. María is the wife of my oldest son, Mario Alejandro. The baby in her arms is my first grandson, so as a grandmother, I am proud of that first grandson and of this very special experience. It is one way of flourishing. The generations, and seeing the things God does in our children—and María is another daughter to me; she is a blessing. I want to thank her, and I thank my sister Miriam, who is very graciously and kindly hosting us in her home.

And now let us go to the Word of the Lord. I invite you to join me in Isaiah, chapter 35, and initially we are going to read verses 1 and 2. Isaiah 35:1 and 2, in the Old Testament, in the book of the prophet Isaiah, says the following:

“…The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad; the wasteland shall rejoice, be joyful, and blossom like the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and shall also rejoice and sing with jubilation. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the beauty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of Jehovah and the beauty of our God and Father…”

We thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for what You will continue speaking to us this afternoon. Once again, we tell You that we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus, so that Your Word may accomplish in us that for which You send it and so that Your purpose may be fulfilled in our lives. We thank You at this hour because You, Lord, help us understand that we must draw from Your fountain, that we must draw from Your living water in order to flourish. Thank You, Lord, in Jesus’ name, amen.

These verses from the biblical text I just read are an eschatological vision, an eschatological word that the prophet Isaiah brings concerning the restoration of Israel, and this biblical passage suggests to us an image of an atmosphere of joy, right? An atmosphere of jubilation, of times of flourishing. When we are living in the United States—I don’t know; in my country, Puerto Rico, the matter of the seasons of the year is not visible, right? You do not notice it. We have a tropical climate, but when we moved to Boston, the change of seasons was definitely noticeable. And when spring arrives, it is such a beautiful time, right? Just seeing the flowers beginning to come out makes you feel joyful; the cold seems to be starting to pass, right? Here in Boston, the cold lasts quite a while, even in spring. But a change is already being announced; it is announced that something is coming, that there is joy, that there is color on the earth, that it is time to flourish.

That is the meaning contained in this biblical passage. In the context of restoration, God is giving a promise through Isaiah, the prophet of restoration, and He tells him that Lebanon will flourish, and Carmel, and Sharon. All these areas, all these regions, are beautiful areas, precious areas, areas known for their beauty, for how they flourish and how they flourish abundantly. But it is interesting that what He is saying here is that the wilderness is what will flourish in this way. These areas are known for their beauty, their trees, and their flowers, but the prophetic word the prophet is bringing to Israel is that the wilderness—and what is the wilderness? An arid place, a place where the kinds of flowers that grow in those other places do not grow, a place where there is dryness. The wilderness represents—just hearing the word wilderness represents something unpleasant, right? Somewhere no one wants to go. The prophet is saying that Israel, which is in the wilderness, will flourish, and he compares that flourishing to the way Lebanon flourishes, the way Carmel flourishes, and the way Sharon flourishes.

So, based on that biblical passage, today we can declare the following: God’s plan for us is that we draw from His fountain of living water in order to flourish, that we draw from His fountain in order to flourish. And there is a process of sowing, a process to follow in order to flourish. God desires and expects us to be productive. God expects us to be productive; it is not all about receiving and receiving. We receive from the fountain, but we must also give. And God wants us to flourish, but we have to follow certain processes. If we think about the natural process of sowing, we can say, for example, that the ground must be prepared, right? After preparing the ground, you have to plant, fertilize, and water; you have to allow it to receive sunlight; you have to care for what was planted. There is also a time of waiting, right? So that what was sown may produce.

So every step in that process of being able to flourish must be planned. If we apply it to spiritual life, we can say that growth and flourishing do not happen randomly, just because. Growth and flourishing—what God has already placed there, the seed God has placed in us—must be cultivated and cared for. Just as the earth can naturally produce and must be cared for anyway, we must also care for our ground and our process in order to flourish.

For example, if I understand that I need to improve my prayer life, that God demands more of me because it is for my good, because that is where I draw from the fountain, then I have to plan. I have to plan in order to enter into a process and determine what I am going to do to improve my prayer life. I am going to continue with—earlier this morning we spoke, and I gave an example of what prevents us from drawing from the fountain. I said that sometimes it is laziness. Am I going to continue with the same laziness as before? If I want to improve my prayer life, if I want to draw from the fountain, laziness has to go. If the television has to be set aside, then it must be. It is not that we cannot watch television; we have nothing against good programs. But if even good programs have to be set aside, they are set aside too. If we have to go to bed later or get up earlier, then that is done as well. But we must establish a plan of action so that we can flourish in every area of our lives where we identify a need to improve.

If I need to improve relationships among the sisters in the church—those problems do not occur here, let that be clear—then I have to establish a way to approach my sister, intentionally committing myself to treating, befriending, and caring for the sister with whom I may have had some difficulty. In other words, for us to flourish in any area of life—and I have given only two examples—we must be intentional; we must be determined to enter into processes and do something in order to flourish.

For example, God may announce to us or let us know that He wants to use us in a certain area of the church, in teaching, for instance. God wants to use us. Oh, how wonderful! The Lord is calling me to teach. As soon as Pastor Miranda or the pastors hear that word, they will soon put me to teach somewhere, in some class. God wants to use you in teaching. Instead of going to the pastor to ask for an opportunity, go to the pastor and say, “Where can I learn? Where can I be trained?” And once I am trained, here I am, available for God to use me.

We want to flourish; we want to be productive, but we want to skip certain processes. Just as nature itself has its process in order to flourish, we too, in the spiritual sense, must enter into a process in order to be productive and flourish.

For example, we were talking about preparing the ground. We might say, “But I have gone through so many negative things.” This morning I spoke about when the ground is hardened, right? There are times when we have gone through negative experiences in life, and sometimes there are experiences that batter us in the same area. Has that not happened to you? In the same area, again and again. God is working. It hurts—of course it hurts. Sometimes the heart wants to—the ground of the heart wants to harden because it is the same thing, the same thing, and the same thing, and it seems as though one never moves forward in that area. But God is telling us, “That ground has to be worked. Water must be poured onto that ground so it can become productive.” We must draw from the fountain even in spite of what we have experienced. Looking to the future, it is time to leave the past behind; it is time to determine to keep moving forward so that we can flourish.

The text we read said it will flourish; it said the wasteland will flourish; it spoke of the wilderness. And when we speak of a wasteland, it refers to an area of land with little life, or the equivalent of the wilderness. In other words, the prophetic word is using two different terms to express the same truth. And on many occasions I have said that in Hebrew thought—we are speaking of the Old Testament, written in Hebrew—repetition implies or indicates emphasis. In other words, God is emphasizing that the wilderness, the arid ground, will flourish. God is emphasizing it when the prophet then says that the wasteland, which also implies dry ground, will flourish. God is emphasizing that the word that comes out of His mouth will be fulfilled and that Israel will certainly be restored. Today God is emphasizing to us that we will flourish. God is telling us that as long as we are willing to work on the areas that need to be worked on and to enter into the processes we need to enter, He commits Himself to helping us flourish.

The arid ground will flourish. Now, notice the kind of change that will take place from loneliness, from wilderness. Loneliness—and now joy comes. From the wilderness comes flourishing, and flourishing like the rose. In other words, when God inspires the prophet, God knows what He is talking about, and God knows the images He wants to use through His prophet to speak to His people. And today God tells us, “I want you to flourish, My daughter, but I do not want you to flourish like just any flower. I want you to flourish like a delicate flower, like the rose. I want you to flourish like a beautiful flower.” Do not consider yourself—and I already had these thoughts; Meche and I did not coordinate anything—God does not want us to consider ourselves insignificant. We are daughters of God. God considers us His flowers; God considers us His treasures, and God wants us to be productive, to flourish. God brings about the changes as we become willing to change; He helps us in that process.

And the verse said that it will be given the glory of Lebanon, the glory of Carmel, and the glory of Sharon. In Lebanon there are tall, beautiful trees; in Lebanon there is an exquisite fragrance produced by those very trees. Sharon is a large, flat area that fills with flowers. In Palestine, the coastal plains suddenly flourish abundantly, as the biblical text says, and they become a beautiful, truly beautiful area. Those areas are famous for that.

Imagine: when I lived here in Boston and the flowers were planted—the flowers always come out in the springtime, if they have already been planted—but only when all those fields of flowers appear for the spring does one notice the change. I enjoyed it; I find it beautiful. In Texas, for example, we have what are called bluebonnets, which are little purple flowers. Texas is famous for those flowers, those tiny little purple flowers. And as you travel down the highway, you see them on both sides when spring arrives. For example, the day before, you passed by and there was nothing, but then suddenly you drive by on Sunday on your way to church, and both sides are filled with those little purple, violet, or lilac flowers—full, covered, abundantly covered.

The wilderness will flourish, and it will flourish abundantly. You and I will flourish, and we will flourish abundantly in the Lord, because the Lord expects and desires it and will help us flourish. God desires to do it with us. If He does it with nature, He can do it with us.

Some time ago, in one of the sermons I came to preach, I told you about a young woman in Costa Rica who suffered from a stomach condition. I did not know it. God led me to pray for her; the Lord healed her, God gave her relief, et cetera, et cetera. Two years later, when I returned to Costa Rica, that young woman came to me. She had been very thin; she had a bacterium in her stomach. I did not know it, but God healed her. Two years later, a young woman whom I did not recognize came up to me and said, “Do you know who I am? I am that young woman you prayed for.” I did not recognize her. The wilderness flourished. She was healed. And she even looked like a different person physically. She had flourished in terms of physical health, and she flourished spiritually and emotionally through being healed, through being restored in every area of her life, because she determined that she would flourish; she determined to seek the Lord. God’s mercy extended to her life, and I did not even recognize her physically when she approached me to tell me that she was now testifying and talking about the things God had done in her life. The wilderness will flourish. Even what seems impossible or difficult, God makes possible.

What do we have to do in that process in order to bloom? Allow our grain of wheat to die. That is a very well-known passage; we are not going to look it up, but we have to die in order to bloom. If the grain is not planted, Scripture says, it does not die, and then it does not bloom. And that dying often represents denying ourselves. It represents sometimes letting go of what we like; it represents, as I said this morning, sometimes letting go of that “my way,” that “the way I want it,” that “what I believe is best.” It represents resolving, “Lord, do in me whatever Your will may be, and however You want to do it.” The grain of wheat has to die.

Jesus declared, “Whoever wants to come after Me must deny herself, take up her cross, and follow Me.” We have to deny ourselves. We must deny ourselves; that does not contradict the truth about the treasure we are and how precious we are in God. But God expects even us, who are precious treasures in God, the Lord’s roses, to deny ourselves so that His glory may be revealed, so that we may bloom and be a blessing, and so that with our lives and with what we are, we may proclaim the glory of the Lord.

Allowing our grain of wheat to die also has to do with forgiving ourselves. I really like to mention this almost every time at women’s events because sometimes God has forgiven us for things from the past, and we are still there remembering and remembering and remembering, and it is already time to leave the past behind. So, like the Apostle Paul, I would say that I never tire of repeating these truths. It is time to leave the past behind. God has already forgiven us; let us move forward, let us move toward blooming. Leave the desert behind because God has new things for us.

We also have to forgive other people because if we harbor things from the past in our hearts, we will not be able to bloom. This means, then, that denying ourselves and allowing the grain of wheat to die have to do with things like these. I have given only a few examples, but we have to set our self aside and let the Lord reign in our lives.

What else do we have to do in order to bloom? In the natural process, we have to water, fertilize, and provide maintenance. How can we water and fertilize? That is indeed today’s theme: drawing from the fountain. We have to provide the right conditions for our growth, for our blooming. That is why the emphasis this morning was: Are we drawing from the fountain? God calls us to draw from it. If we are already drawing from it, God still wants us to draw more; we have to nourish our spirituality.

A plant does not grow all by itself just because. Some wild plants grow on their own, but if the soil becomes arid, if there is no rain, even the wild plants die. So we have to fertilize our soil in the Lord; we have to water it; we have to draw from the fountain; we have to maintain it; we have to work on our inner selves, on our emotions. As I spoke about this morning, we have to work on those negative feelings that hold us back, that hold back the progress God has for us. Water is essential for life. Without water, as I also said this morning, what happens to nature? Nature dies, there is no food, the animals die too, and famine comes. In Hosea, God declared to His people—you need to look it up—“I will be like dew to Israel,” and then He tells them, “He will bloom like the lily and extend his roots like Lebanon.”

God is declaring through the prophet Hosea that His people will receive dew because He, Jehovah their God, is the dew for Israel. And God tells us today, “I, Jehovah your God, am dew for you, María. I, Jehovah your God, am dew for you, Lourdes. I, Jehovah your God, am dew for you, My daughter. It is from Me that you receive water; it is from Me that you receive good things; it is from Me that you receive blessing. And you will bloom like the lily; you will bloom like the rose; you will extend your roots like Lebanon; you will certainly bloom.” And that verse also says, “His branches will spread.” Do you remember the other passage that says, “Enlarge the site of your tent, because there is more room to expand”? God desires our branches to spread as we bloom. God does not want our plant to remain a small plant. God desires that, as God’s plants, as God’s plantings, we have branches that spread and are a blessing to our family, to our children, to our grandchildren—now that I am at that stage—to our brothers and sisters in the church, in the different ministries, to our coworkers, and in evangelism. God desires our branches to spread, and it says, “His splendor will be like that of the olive tree, and he will be fragrant like Lebanon.”

The olive tree is essential in Israel; olives are one of the staples of agricultural production. They are used for many things, and it says here that Israel will have splendor like that of the olive tree. The olive tree is almost indispensable, we might say. In Scripture, the olive tree represents blessing, and in applying this biblical principle and the word given to Israel in Hosea to us, God tells us that He wants to give you His glory; God wants His glory to be revealed when you are blooming. God wants you to have splendor like that of the olive tree, which is an essential product, a product essential to the Lord, an indispensable product for blessing other lives—although no one is indispensable, but indispensable in comparison with the olive tree—and also a product that will be fragrant like Lebanon.

A little while ago I said that there are some wonderfully rich fragrances in Lebanon, and we must spread fragrance; fragrant aromas must emanate from our lives. When we bloom, what comes forth from flowers that give off fragrance as they bloom? The flower comes forth and looks beautiful, but that fragrance is also exquisite, isn’t it?

Not long ago, my oldest son and his wife gave me a perfume different from the one I have. Since they know that I tend to go for floral scents, they brought me one made from a—I do not remember what kind of flower—but as soon as I opened it, I loved it; it smelled like flowers. Perfume reaches others. Not only is our ability to emanate fragrance a blessing from God’s dealings in our lives, but we also bless others. And when you walk through your Christian life, those who pass by you, wherever you go, say, “Oh, how lovely that sister smells! Oh, what a lovely person that sister is!” because the life of God within her is such a blessing.

God wants us to be productive. God wants us to bloom, to extend our branches, for the glory of God to be revealed through our lives, and for us to spread fragrance to other lives. That passage also says, “They will return and sit beneath His shade; they will be revived like grain and bloom like the vine.” And they will bloom like the vine.

Israel is promised that it will bloom like the vine. But the vine has to remain attached to the branch. In another passage of Scripture, in the Gospel according to Saint John, Jesus is the branch, isn’t He? Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches—the other way around—and we have to remain attached to the Lord in order to bloom, in order to be productive. We have to draw from the fountain; we have to stay beside the fountain.

Psalm 1 is a very well-known passage. Now I do invite you to look it up. Psalm 1 speaks about the man who remains upright in the sight of God, who does not become contaminated by scoffers, etcetera, etcetera, in the first verses, but who is a person who meditates on the Word of God, on the commandments, day and night. And verse 3 says:

“…that person who does this will be like a tree planted beside streams of water, which bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not fall; and everything he does will prosper….”

When we remain attached to the fountain, what will happen in our lives? We will bear our fruit in its season. Everything we do in the name of the Lord will prosper and be blessed by the Lord, and we will reveal the glory of God in our lives. What else does God do? Our leaf does not fall if we continue to drink from the water of the fountain, if we remain right there, closely attached to it. But sometimes we can live the Christian life like trees whose leaves are drying up, and I can give an example of that from my own home. I am not good with plants, even though I am talking about the planting process. The plants inside my house are artificial; I have to confess it. The reality is that I go out a lot, I travel a lot, and I am very busy, so my plants die. I tried and failed, so I do not have natural plants. But then, outside in the yard, as far as the person who takes care of it is concerned, I have the basics. I would also like to have flowers—I love flowers—but what I have is mostly shrubs and the basics.

But when we bought the house, well, they have always had a little tree in the middle of the yard, out front. Unfortunately, since I have not been—this is an area where I have failed—I have not been good at caring for plants. All the trees in the neighborhood are beautiful and leafy, while our little tree is suddenly dry and all its leaves fall off. Well, there is a season when they fall and it is left as a dry little stick, but there are months when all the others are blooming—the same kind of tree—while ours has two or three little leaves, and the few it has are falling off. Why? Because I have not taken care to water it. So this negative example of something that happens to me helps us understand what the other truth, the opposite of this, means. When we truly receive from God’s fountain, our leaf does not fall, because our tree does not dry up; instead, in the Lord we are alive, we are blooming.

We have to remain attached to the fountain; we also have to fertilize—we have to fertilize the soil. And the soil of our heart, of our life, is fertilized in different ways. I can never leave out the Word of God. When I speak about nourishment and growth, the Word of God is fundamental. Prayer, fasting, gathering together—all those principles you learn in discipleship classes when we come to the Lord—we must never let go of any of those principles. The Word of God is key, as are fasting, prayer, and closeness to God through all those principles that sometimes make us say, “Oh, no, but that was for when I was newly converted.” Those are what keep us attached to the fountain. The foundations of Scripture and of the Christian life do not change. Biblical foundations do not change. The foundations for living a fruitful, productive life in the Lord have not changed. Times change, and the gospel and the way of presenting the gospel sometimes change, but we cannot change the biblical truth of the principles of the Word of God. We have to fertilize our soil.

Scripture also tells us that God is our sun. And plants need to receive sunlight. Plants need not only fertilizer but also the sun, and God is our sun. From Him we receive the water; from Him we receive the light that sustains us; from Him we receive strength. It is interesting that a little while ago I mentioned that this biblical passage says that the glory of Lebanon will be given to them. I have already spoken about the part that falls to us, although I have also spoken about the part God does. But I also want to emphasize that, while on the one hand we are responsible for doing our part in order to bloom, this biblical passage says, “The glory of Lebanon will be given to them.” After you and I have responsibly done everything we should do while attached to the fountain, and have cared for that entire process so that we may bloom, we must rest in the fact that it is the Lord’s glory, given by His grace.

A little while ago, a thought was displayed on the screen that said, “His grace is sufficient.” We are responsible for doing everything God expects us to do, but after we have acted responsibly, let us rest in the fact that it is by God’s grace. Although we have to keep doing our part, it is not something I earn by what I do; this is not a transaction with the Lord. Rather, I am responsible, and God requires responsibility from me, but by His grace He causes me to bloom.

I learned from the Lord practically as soon as I was converted, and throughout the years, that I have to be responsible—of course I do—but my dependence does not rest on the fact that I was responsible, on my abilities, on what I studied, or on the degree I was awarded. Look, I may have whatever degree there is, but if I do not prepare, and if I am not responsible before God in seeking Him in prayer and doing what I have to do in order to bring you this message, nothing will come forth from here today—only hollow and empty words. But regardless of what tool I may have, I am responsible for those tools, yet I depend on saying, “Lord, here is everything I have done; it is in Your hands, so that You, Lord, by Your grace and favor, may cause it to bloom.”

We also find in Scripture—and I am going to speak very briefly about this because I preached on this very subject in this church—that in Ezekiel 47—you do not have to look it up—there is an eschatological vision of a river flowing out from the altar of God. That river is described, and it says that waters flow from the altar and keep spreading out. As the prophet Ezekiel is being shown the flow of that river, there comes a moment when the man—whether a man or an angel—who is showing him that river flowing from the altar tells him to enter the river up to a certain point, and the water reaches his ankles, then his knees, then his waist, and then it reaches a point where it covers him and he has to swim. And the image presented there is one of prophetic restoration, the restoration of Israel, and it speaks of the presence of God flowing. The river of God flows; from the presence of God come those rivers of living water, those streams of blessing, and everything that river reaches in that eschatological vision in Ezekiel is made to flourish. That eschatological vision describes many fruit trees along the banks of the river, bearing a variety of fruit. That eschatological vision also describes not only that, but how the river reaches even the Dead Sea—a sea where there are no fish and no life—and even those waters are healed. Then there are many fish and many fishermen in a sea where there had been no fish to catch, because the blessing of the river of God arrived and brought life where there had been none.

The desert will flourish, the wasteland will flourish; the dead place, the dead area of our life that we have so often tried to improve and tried to deal with—if we make ourselves willing and do our part, God will cause it to flourish. Even the desert, even what is dead, can receive an abundance of blessing from God if we make ourselves willing to flourish.

There is also a time of waiting in the process of flourishing; there is a time of waiting. Each plant needs a particular amount of time; some bloom faster than others, right? But the important thing is that if we are diligent in the process of flourishing, then in God’s time for our lives—because we are different plants in the Lord, different kinds of flowers, different kinds of seed—you will certainly flourish in God’s time for your life. You will certainly flourish.

Some flowers come up every year, right? There are others that come up when you plant them, but then they do not come up the following year because they have to be planted again. Regardless of the kind of plant you and I may be, I guarantee you, my sisters, that if we continue drinking from the fountain, God is determined to send His blessing, God is determined to send His favor upon our lives, and we will certainly flourish.

Now, there is a saying that says, “Waiting drives you to despair.” And because the process of flourishing includes a time of waiting according to the kind of plant you and I are, we must also learn to be patient in the Lord—diligently doing what we have to do, but waiting patiently for our time to come. Scripture tells us that the sower sows and then waits for the harvest from what he has sown. There is a time of waiting, and we cannot grow desperate during that time of waiting. There are times when God answers us very quickly and an area of our life seems to flourish very rapidly. There have been times when I have been before the Lord, working on certain areas, and I see the results—or the answer to a request, for example—within a week, two weeks, or two or three months. And I have also had situations before God in which I have been waiting for 18 and 20 years. But even so, I continue flourishing in the Lord.

Because I place that situation in His hands, and I know that at some point it too will flourish. But while that flourishing comes in that area, while the time comes for God to work in that area, I have to keep flourishing in the other areas, because God’s blessing has not ceased. But if I stop and do nothing but look and say, “Oh, God has not answered in this area,” then I overlook all the blessings God is bringing about in the other areas of my life, and frustration sets in. Apparently, I then conclude that God is not helping me flourish, that I am not flourishing in my life. But even though that area is still waiting, you are certainly flourishing; God is blessing you in other areas of your life.

Let us not be deceived by ourselves or by the enemy into thinking that because we are waiting, God is not blessing us. We will certainly flourish, even when we have long periods of waiting.

At times, in our waiting and in that sense of becoming desperate, we also run the risk of going to or seeking in places where God does not want us to seek. For example, when Israel left Egypt, they came to a place called Marah, and there they found bitter waters; Exodus records this. So what did Israel do? Instead of saying to Him, “Lord, keep us; provide for us somewhere else. We should not drink this water, but we know that You will provide,” instead of saying that, they complained against Moses. Moses had to cry out to Jehovah on behalf of the people and make a plea, and then God told him, “Take this tree and cast it into the waters.” The waters became sweet, and then the water could be drunk and ceased to be bitter. But unfortunately, the people complained. God had to do what He did; Moses went before God, and God resolved it for them in response to the people’s complaint. But Scripture tells us that God tested them there.

And do you know what? Farther ahead, in Elim, God already had provision: He had 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees for His people. And sometimes we are at Marah, and the water is bitter, and we recognize that it is bitter. Then we begin to complain and fight against God, right? But if God is testing us with that bitter water that appeared along our walk, along our route, what God expects is this: “Okay, here is the water, so let us pass right alongside it, and I will keep walking my little path, because farther ahead are the 12 springs and the palm trees that allow me to see that the blessing is waiting for me along the course and within the plan God had for Israel, the plan God has for my life.”

The bitter water of Marah will appear along the way. We know that. Along this path of flourishing, bitter water will appear. On the one hand, we have the living water of the Lord from which we must continually drink, but there will also be pools of bitter water, and God will test us to see what we will do in the midst of that water presented to us. What will we do? Will we try to drink from it? Will we begin to complain against God? No. As I was saying, turn aside, go around the water, and keep walking, because God’s blessing lies farther ahead. Let us not complain against the Lord in this process of flourishing.

On the other hand, we can also mention another example from Scripture: when we are in a time of waiting, the waters can sometimes seem unstable to us. Jeremiah experienced this feeling when, because he was proclaiming the prophetic word to the people, he was persecuted—even to the point that in the end they killed him—and was often persecuted to the point of being in danger of death. At one point, after being faithful to God in communicating the word to the people and to other nations, he became anguished. The prophet became anguished and asked the Lord, “Will You be to me like waters that are not reliable?” Unstable water is water in which you cannot swim; it is water that gives you no assurance that you can enter it. And the prophet felt so very burdened by the situation because, although he had been faithful to God, persecutions had come. We too have sometimes experienced persecutions that came even because we were serving the Lord. And the prophet reached a moment when he felt desperate and declared, asking the Lord, “Will You be to me like waters that are not reliable?”

And I repeat to you: in unstable waters there is no safety. But God wants us to learn and recognize that regardless of the circumstances that may come into our lives, like those that befell Jeremiah even because he served the Lord, regardless of the circumstances, we must not think that God is to us like waters that are not reliable. In Him there are fountains of living water. It is not stagnant water; it is not turbulent water; it is not a current seeking to harm us. God has blessing; God has good things for us. Amid God’s processes and the difficult things that come into our lives, let us not become confused and think what the enemy wants us to think: that God is not stable for me. God is stable even though the earth may be shaking. God is stable even though my circumstances may make me tremble. God remains stable and firm for me; He gives me the assurance that I will certainly flourish.

In Jeremiah, God also promises Israel restoration and tells them that He will make them walk beside streams of water. A prophet who feels that way—the very same prophet—continues to receive from God a word for Israel, and God declares to him that He will make His people walk beside streams of water. As Jeremiah communicates the prophetic word, he must have understood, “Oh, Lord, forgive me, because just a moment ago I told You that You were to me like waters that are not reliable, when what You tell Your people is that You, Lord, are for us and that You will make us walk beside streams of water,” which means waters that are flowing, waters that are running, living waters.

I mentioned the saying, “Waiting drives you to despair,” and there are times when we certainly do despair. But God tells us to guard our hearts, to guard our hearts so they will not be contaminated or harmed during that time of waiting. Let us guard our hearts. If we have already forgiven in a particular area but the situation is still present even though we have already made the decision to forgive, God tells us, “Guard your heart; guard your Manasseh; take care of your Manasseh.” God enabled you to forgive; God enabled you to forget the past circumstances, even though something may still be lingering there. Guard your heart; guard your Manasseh. God has already caused you to forget, just as He did for Joseph. Manasseh was the name Joseph gave to one of his sons. Joseph was a biblical figure who suffered greatly and was sold by his brothers, but ultimately became Pharaoh’s right-hand man. And when he had this son, he named him Manasseh, which means, “God made me forget.” He made him forget because God blessed and prospered him in the midst of the difficult situation.

And God tells us today, no matter what the circumstances may be, “Guard your Manasseh.” If you already declared, “No, God has already made me forget this; this is already in the past,” guard your heart. Let us not go back on what God has already done, on what we have already declared within ourselves. Guard your heart, because God once told me, “If your heart is damaged, I cannot use you.” Guard your Manasseh, daughter of God, because if your heart is damaged, God cannot use you. Then the fragrance will not come forth; then the beautiful rose that would be a blessing to others will no longer bloom as God expects. Guard your Manasseh.

What else must we do while we wait? Isaiah 35, verse 3, the verse following the last ones we read, says:

“…strengthen the weary hands, steady the feeble knees….”

We must strengthen what is weary. Many times in this Christian walk we have had extraordinary experiences, but despite those extraordinary experiences we also grow weary; it is also as though discouragement and disheartenment seek to set in. I have heard many servants of God say that even after having glorious, extraordinary experiences of a tremendous move of God in their ministry, there later comes a time of anguish, fears, questions, and all these kinds of things that seek to overshadow what God has done. And God tells us that when we experience our hands growing weary, when we feel as though our knees are already… we must strengthen them. Our knees are giving way; we must strengthen them. We must strengthen them in the Lord so that we may flourish and attain what God has for us.

We must also encourage others. We must not only strengthen ourselves, but the following verse says:

“…say to those of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong; do not fear. Behold, your God comes with vengeance, with recompense; God Himself will come and save you….’”

We must not only work through our own matters. God wants us to flourish; during that time of waiting and flourishing, God wants us to strengthen our knees and our hands, but also to encourage those of a fearful heart. So this flourishing has to do with me, with my purpose, with what God has for me, but also with what God has for other people through my life. God expects that in this time of waiting—if you will pardon the repetition—we will even be able to strengthen others.

Remember that I told you that in Palestine, especially on the plains, flowers suddenly bloom profusely; the land fills with gladioli, irises, daffodils, and lilies, and these areas become beautiful when one least expects it, like the Texas bluebonnets. There is a saying: “At the darkest moment of the night, dawn comes.”

If we are diligent in that process so that we may blossom, at the moment we least expect it, we will certainly blossom. And when we blossom, people see the life of God in us. People see the beauty of that rose; sometimes no one understands—people will not understand the processes we have gone through, the processes we may have gone through involving suffering, pain, waiting, questions, etc., etc. People do not see that, but people see the glory of God in us because we have allowed God to work in our lives.

So even if the time to blossom seems slow in coming, let us not despair. Isaiah 35, verse 2, the last part, said:

“…. They shall see the glory of Jehovah….”

God is certainly assuring us that it will happen: they shall see the beauty of our God. Scripture tells us, Jehovah will fulfill His purpose in me. Thus, in the process of blossoming there is a time of waiting; let us not despair, because God is certainly faithful to fulfill what He has declared with His mouth.

Also, in the process of blossoming, we have to look to the future believing and declaring, believing and declaring. I said a little while ago that after the sower sows, he does not sit down and say, oh, I sowed, but nothing is going to happen. No, the sower does his work because he expects the harvest to come, he expects the fruit to come, so we have to believe that the fruit of God will certainly be produced profusely in our lives.

In Isaiah—you do not have to look it up—chapter 27:6, God says, days will come when Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and bud. And the face of the world shall be filled with fruit…”

Days will come when you and I shall take root, or we are already taking root; days will come when you and I shall blossom, when we shall put forth shoots, and the world will know and the world will see that our lives are full of fruit, and we will be a blessing. God expects Israel to be restored, God expects Israel to blossom, God expects you and me to blossom profusely because God believes in you.

God believes in you. Sometimes we women do not believe in ourselves, and that is why God has to keep repeating words and expressions like these, but God believes that you will certainly blossom; therefore, we have to look to the future believing and also declaring. That is, opening our lips to declare what God has said about us.

What do we open our lips for? To lament, to complain, to say, oh Lord, and this and that, and this and that. We open our lips to say, thank You, Lord, because even though this circumstance is here, I know that You are with me, I know that I will move forward. What comes from our lips? Do positive words come out that declare the truth of God? I am not talking about empty positive thinking, but positive words based on the Word of God, on God’s principles, words that declare the blessings of what God has declared. Is it His word for us, or do complaints that accomplish nothing come from our lips? We have to believe and declare God’s blessing and goodness toward us.

Negative declarations do not lead us to blossom. If what I declare is, I am good for nothing, I am not good for anything. If I declare, oh, nothing is going to happen with me; with others, yes, but not with me, I assure you, nothing will happen with you. But if what I declare is, God has purposes for me, Jehovah will fulfill His purpose in me, I am a beautiful rose, I am going to blossom profusely, I am already blossoming, God is going to use me. I am God’s treasure, I am important to God, I am God’s instrument, certainly what I declare with my lips is what I am believing in my heart, and God will fulfill His purpose in me.

Believe and declare. Even if any of you is going through a desert, still believe and declare, just as God declared to Israel that it would certainly blossom, because He is your source in the desert.

A little while ago I mentioned Joseph, right? When I spoke about Manasseh. And I want to mention another Bible verse to you; you do not have to look it up, but it is in Genesis 49:22. Jacob is declaring a blessing over his sons; he is already about to die and is declaring the patriarchal blessing over his sons, and I specifically want to mention what he says about Joseph. Within the general context of that passage, of that chapter, when it speaks of Joseph, it goes on to mention that Joseph went through—in some very specific words, though I am generalizing it—bitter experiences, but that he was strengthened. It goes on to mention the difficulties Joseph went through, but when he declares the patriarchal word of blessing from father to son, he declares the following:

“… Joseph is a fruitful branch, Hallelujah! A fruitful branch beside a spring, whose shoots extend over the wall…”

It certainly speaks within the context of Joseph having gone through difficult situations; his father knew about the situations his son had gone through, but when he declares the word of blessing over him, he declares that he is a fruitful branch because he is beside stones? No, no, he is a fruitful branch because he is beside the spring. And then, because he is beside the spring, what do his branches do? They spread out. You are a fruitful branch; we women are fruitful branches. If we remain close to the source. The word of blessing, the word of blossoming, is upon our lives if we remain close to the source.

Remember that I was speaking about the branch and the vine: we must remain attached to the Lord in order to blossom, even when the grapevine has to be pruned and goes through difficult situations. It is pruned in order to blossom, but it has to remain attached to the branch. Pruning is one thing and cutting off is another. Pruning causes more to be produced, but if we allow ourselves to be cut off for one reason or another, through negligence or whatever it may be, then we are not going to blossom. We have to allow ourselves to be pruned by God so that we may be fruitful, so that we may bear fruit, and fruit in abundance.

Also, in the process of blossoming, we must learn to turn the valley of tears into a spring; we must take action, we must do something. Psalm 84, verses 5 through 7, says it this way:

“… blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are Your ways. Passing through the valley of tears, what do they do? Do they stay there crying? No, of course not. The biblical text says they turn it into a spring; they turn the negative into something positive.

When the rain fills the pools, then what will happen? They will go from strength to strength; they will see God in Zion. Sinking down into the valley of tears—even though, as I said, there are processes in which we have to cry, and God is not upset when we cry—but remaining there, remaining in our weeping, in depression, leads us nowhere. It does not lead us to live from strength to strength, it does not lead us to be fruitful, it does not lead us to blossom. We have to learn to turn the valley of tears into what? Into a blessing. We have to learn to turn the valley of tears into a spring.

Scripture tells us in Romans, chapter 8, that God causes all things to work for the good of those who love the Lord, and what the biblical text says is that God causes it. Some versions simply say all things work for good for those who love the Lord. It seems as though—right, we know it is God—but the things… Yet what the biblical text says is that God causes it. That is, God makes sure that everything works for good. Therefore, we are called to learn to turn the valley of tears into a source of blessing, turning even negative things into positive things.

There is another saying that says that if what I am given is lemons, what do we have to do with the lemons? They are sour; we add—and what ………… for those of us who cannot have much sugar, we add sugar and make lemonade, and we drink it. But if we remain contemplating the lemons, we do nothing with them. So we are called to turn the valley of tears into what? Into a spring, into God’s blessing.

Scripture also tells us in Song of Songs, chapter 2: for behold, the winter has passed, the rain has moved on and gone away; the flowers have appeared on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

This biblical passage in Song of Songs describes the beautiful relationship between a man and a woman, but in these particular verses, within the description of that relationship, it is speaking of how, in that loving relationship, the winter has passed, and the rain came and has already gone away, and then what has come? The turtledove can now be heard; spring has now arrived. And as I said at the beginning, we can clearly distinguish the seasons of the year here. Winter is leaving; the rain has already gone from your life. Winter is passing away, and it is time for us to understand that God’s springtime has already come into our lives, that the voice of the turtledove is already being heard, that God is certainly making our lives productive and causing us to blossom.

In Haggai, chapter 2, verse 9, notice what this verse says: “… the seed is not yet in the barn—listen to that—neither the vine, nor the fig tree, nor the pomegranate, nor the olive tree has blossomed yet.” In other words, they are in the process; they have not blossomed yet, the seed is not yet in the barn, “but from this day I will bless you…”

We are still in the process, the Lord tells some of us. To others He says, look, you are already there, already blossoming, the flower is already coming out. Others still have to wait a little longer, but today the Lord tells us, from this day I will bless you. Regardless of the stage of your life, God’s timing for your life as the beautiful plant of God that you are, regardless of God’s timing for you to blossom, regardless of the process or the point at which you are right now, God tells you today: perhaps you have not blossomed yet, perhaps the bud has not come out yet, but I tell you that from this day I bless you, My daughter.

As I am almost finished, we can say that it is only by drawing from the source that we can blossom; that when we blossom, we are blessed, we live fulfilled lives in God, we can bless others—people close to us, unbelievers—others rejoice to see God’s work and glory in us, we are productive in our lives and in blessing others. We can say that when we blossom, the Kingdom of God also spreads through us. We give glory to God through our blossoming; when we blossom, we live victorious and full lives in the Lord. Therefore, sisters, God’s call is for us to take whatever actions we have to take, to make whatever decisions we have to make, not to remain lying back comfortably, to draw from the source, to do what we have to do, and to have the positive attitudes necessary to become fulfilled and flourishing women in God.

And I repeat, as we close—the worship sisters may come forward—the verse from Haggai that I love. Let us hear it again:

“… the seed is not yet in the barn, neither the vine, nor the fig tree, nor the pomegranate, nor the olive tree has blossomed yet, but from this day I will bless you…”

Keep drawing from the source, because your time to blossom has come. Please stand. We worship You, God. Oh, we worship You, Lord. Oh, we worship You, Jehovah of hosts. Thank You, Lord.

Oh, thank You, Lord, because in You there is blessing. Thank You, Lord, because You have a good word for our lives. Thank You, Lord, because You have a good word for our hearts, for our souls, for our spirits, for our houses, our homes, our husbands, our children, our families, Lord, our relatives. Oh God, You have a good word for us, Lord. You have a word of blessing, You have a word of fruitfulness, You have a word of prosperity in the biblical sense, You have a word of blessing and goodness for us today. Thank You, Lord.

Let us lift our hearts to God. Or let us continue with our hearts lifted to the Lord and say to Him, Lord, here I am. I am blossoming; or let us tell Him, I am about to blossom; or let us tell Him, I am willing to blossom, I am willing to do whatever must be done, but I want to blossom, Lord. I receive Your word today, I receive Your word that tells me, from this day I bless you. I receive Your blessing today.

Receive what God has for you. Blessed are You, God. Blessed are You, Lord. Lift your hands to heaven. Lift your hands to heaven. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Right there where you are, receive God’s blessing for your life. Right there where you are, receive what God has for you. Enjoy His presence, enjoy His blessing. God wants you to be productive, so that you may take this word today when you leave here, put it into practice, and be productive in the Lord; it shall blossom profusely.

Declare it with your lips: I am blossoming profusely. Declare this. Tell the Lord: thank You, Lord, because I am blossoming profusely. Thank You, Lord, because from this day You have blessed me; You bless me today. Thank You, Lord, because I declare a good word over my life, not an evil word. Thank You, Lord, because I declare positive things over my life, not negative things. Thank You, Lord, because I declare that Your rivers flow in my life from within me, that Your blessing may flow in me, oh God. Thank You, Lord. Hallelujah! We worship You, God.

Oh, we worship you. Behold, my rain of blessing is upon your people. A rain of blessing is upon you, people, says the Lord. My rain of blessing is upon you, people, the Lord tells you. I pour out my blessing upon you. The Lord is declaring that he is pouring out his blessing upon you, people. And he has abundant rain, he has abundant rain. He has a rain of blessings, he has a rain that refreshes. Receive what God has for you. Receive what God has for you. Thank you, Lord.

Sermon by Awilda Gonzalez-Tejera recorded June 6, 2009, at Congregación León de Judá

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