Rain showers the night before left the earth moist. The morning sun lit up the tiny droplets of water like a sprinkling of diamond dust scattered across my yard. Taking notice of the brave young daylilies challenging the cold morning, I gasped. A clump of the new sprouts appeared to be laden with pearls.
It was odd.
Raindrops Glistened Milky White, Like Pearls
The water droplets on the fragile leaves were large, and rather than glistening clear like diamonds, they appeared milky white in their reflection of the sun. Milky white, like pearls.
I recognized a stirring in my spirit.
This was a God-moment.
In Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (NIV).
I have been seeking the Lord for clarity of direction and renewed purpose while navigating the difficult places in my life. Most days, keeping my hand on the plow is hard, and keeping a good attitude is even harder.
Dying to self to follow His sovereign will for my life is often bathed in salty tears.
A Hard Lesson to Learn
When the Lord shone His heavenly light on these pearls of raindrops, I knew He was speaking to me, confirming to me that I had found a pearl of great value—Jesus, Himself. Every day is a gift from Him, orchestrated by Him, and aligns with His perfect will, even if His will looks different than my own.
That’s a hard lesson.
That means trusting Him enough to give thanks in all things because He is the One who designs my days and my circumstances to fulfill His perfect will in my life.
A pearl is formed of an irritant – a tiny sandstone that finds its way under the oyster shell. To avoid irritation, the oyster produces a protective coating called nacre. Nacre becomes the pearl.
I thought of my own shell. My own irritants.
As I looked closely at the white “pearl” drops on the daylilies I realized that what Satan meant for evil, the Lord promised to use for good. The irritants—my difficult, painful places of the heart—are becoming pearls.
Jesus is My Exceedingly Great Reward
Layer upon layer of God’s grace smooths out the rough edges. Layer upon layer of my walls of self-preservation are beginning to take on an iridescent glow as I yield myself to the Lord and trust Him with the outcome.
A pearl of great price.
Jesus, Himself, is my exceedingly great reward.
Selah
************************************************
Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
Dear Nan, I needed your post this morning just to be reminded that God is at work even when His answers to prayers isn’t what we expected or asked for. I think there are times when our faith seems much smaller than that mustered seed, yet because He loves us so He continues to hold us ever so gently & lovingly in the embrace of His Grace. Heavenly Father, Renew the anointing of your Holy Spirit upon Nan & her loved ones, open the eyes & hearts of the unsaved, let the seeds you plant take root & flourish. Lord protect us from the evil that whispers lies, Bless Nan, her loved ones & this ministry ~ In your precious name Jesus, let this be so. Amen
Oh Mary Ann, bless your heart. Thank you for ministering to me with you kind words and prayer. My husband and I have both been fighting COVID and it’s been a rough couple of weeks. I appreciate you so much. I pray God’s richest blessings on you and yours.