I was recently dead heading a rose bush and noticed how a branch had grown across the top of a brick wall and had in fact eroded part of the brick. Admittedly the bricks are soft red bricks, but it seemed surprising that a plant with supple green branches could “overcome” the inanimate hard brick. If you look at the image, I think you can see that this branch was quite thick and very woody, and there is a groove in the brick.
Do we sometimes feel we are battling against an immovable or unresolvable problem?
That rose branch didn’t erode the brick overnight. It had probably taken many years for this to happen.
If we persevere in our efforts, if we persist in our prayers, then Jesus tells us our prayers will be answered, even the ones we think are immoveable or impossible.
Another thing about rose bushes is that they need pruning. At the end of the season the branches are cut right back and it would appear we are left with a bush of leafless stumps. However, from the deadest looking stems new shoots burst forth the next spring and blooms as beautiful and scented as the one on my old rose bush burst forth.
If we cut back dead wood in our lives, new growth happens that is stronger and more beautiful as a result.
Prayer: Gracious and loving Father, thank you that our prayers are always answered when we ask of you. Help us to put our trust in you that even the hardest brick can be moved in ways that so often surprise us. May we continue to wonder at your creative power. Show us what we need to prune from our lives and what new things will bloom as a result. AMEN