Shoots...... and new life

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.   Isaiah 11: 1

A stump. You’ve seen one. What once had been a mighty oak,  a graceful elm, or a winsome ash became sick and died. And people with chainsaws came and carted away what was left, leaving only a stump. Ignorable. Inert.

But God promises us that what is dead will provide sustenance and shelter for that which is being resurrected.

              “A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse,                                                              and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

In you, what has died? And what shoot, what quiet idea, is silently gestating in the deepest part of your heart?                            

What is longing to be born?

God promises all new life.