In 1975, a mighty tornado swept through Louisville, Kentucky, tearing across the Crescent Hill neighborhood in which The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is located. Many professors' homes were damaged. Dr. Harold Songer tells how the backyard of his friend and fellow professor, Dr. Thomas Smothers, was particularly hard-hit. Many majestic old trees were felled, and the backyard looked barren following the storm.
Songer continues, though, to describe how Smothers' backyard was awash with unexpected new growth the following spring. The same storm which destroyed the old growth had also spread the seeds which would bring new growth.
In life, there are seasons of deep distress and afflictions that sometimes eat away our abundance. Yet, the promise of God is that "we will reap, if we faint not." The years that follow the storms and plagues of life can be abundant years, thanks to God's providential work.
Source: Harold Songers, New Testament Professor, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Topics/Tags: Restoration; Growth; Endurance; Abundance