Thriving Underground
We love to celebrate the visible seasons of life: promotions, answered prayers, healed relationships, and the fruit we can point to. Even in Scripture, Ruth’s story often takes center stage due to her significant role during the harvest season, her marriage to Boaz, her place in the lineage of Jesus, and her legacy of blessing. But these seasons of harvest are built upon seasons of underground growth.
Unless a Grain of Wheat Falls to the Ground and Dies…
The apostle John knew the truth of underground growth. Without it, a seed remains only a seed. (John 12:24) So did Ruth. After the loss of her first husband, with no child to comfort her, Ruth lived a life of sacrifice among the fields of Boaz, gleaning stalks left behind by the reapers. Every handful she picked up was an act of courage, of faith that the God of Israel saw her.
The beauty of Ruth’s life is not solely found in her happily-ever-after. It’s also in her quiet, steady faithfulness during her season of waiting. Some seasons are filled with visible growth and bloom. Still, others are more hidden, like seeds beneath the soil. Genesis 8:22 reassures us that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. All seasons are created by God and are purposeful. This means, dormant seasons are not wasted seasons.
1. Faithfulness is often quiet service with hope for more:
Ruth didn’t walk into Boaz’s field demanding favor, breakthrough, or harvest. Instead, she humbly served. Many of us find ourselves in the same place—doing the small things, unseen by most, hoping they matter. And they do. Ruth’s ordinary faithfulness became the soil for God’s extraordinary plan.
2. The season of waiting is sacred: Our Waiting is Not Punishment – it is preparation:
Waiting is rarely easy, but Scripture reminds us to “[b]e still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7). Isaiah 30:18 adds, “The Lord waits to be gracious to you.”
Our waiting is not punishment; it is preparation!
God honors the small sacrifices of our hearts. What feels dormant to us may be the very place God is doing His deepest work. Dormancy is not absence. Just as roots grow stronger underground before a tree bears fruit above, our hidden seasons with God are vital for the growth to come. Additionally, they are a holy encounter with the divine.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the gift of every season. Teach us to trust You when life feels hidden, quiet, or slow. Give us faith to believe that even when we cannot see growth, You are still at work beneath the surface. Help us to be faithful in the waiting and patient in the quiet, knowing that You are preparing us for what is ahead. Amen.
Journaling Prompt:
What does “waiting season” mean for you right now?
Are there dreams, hopes, or plans that feel as if they are going dormant?
Ask God what He might be cultivating in this “underground” time.
Encouragement:
You don’t have to bloom yet. You just need to be faithful in the waiting.
