They’re back. The crocus have reappeared and blossomed overnight. Their impossibly bright color stands out against the drab background of cold stones and dormant shrubs, a vibrant sign of life and promise.

Long-time readers will know the story. Every spring I get all excited when the crocus bloom. It’s a message from God that I’m not in charge – and that’s a good thing.

Decades ago, I decided to replace the flower bed under the living room window with five prickly shrubs. I ripped out the flowers, dug up the bulbs, and made room for the shrubs. After they were planted, I covered the ground with volcanic stones to keep the weeds out. But despite my destructive efforts, a few tiny bulbs remained hidden deep in the soil. And ever since, every spring, the resilient, defiant crocus appears, upsetting my plans for order in the planting bed.

Similarly, God plants His faithful ones deep in this world. The forces of evil, death, and destruction rain down and uproot God’s people. Israel was raided, defeated and carried off into captivity, yet God always preserved a remnant. Today, in China, the middle east, and elsewhere, the church is persecuted, pushed down, and opposed. Even in the western world, the church is often mocked, ridiculed, and diminished. Yet the undefeated remnant remains, to poke through the hard ground of evil and show forth life and beauty.

So take heart! Drink in the beauty of this delicate blossom and the life and hope it represents.

Zephaniah 3:12-13 (ESV) “But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”