Waiting to Bloom
Car folks around the world have learned to carefully observe the introduction of a new Porsche 911. Take, for instance, the 993 generation (1993-1997). It was the most radically modern 911 since the original, which debuted 30 years prior. So Porsche released the clean, base-model Carrera coupe first. The Carrera Cabriolet, now a regular part of the 911 lineup, debuted next, along with the Carrera 4 Cabriolet. Eventually, the Turbo blasted in, followed by something with 3-centimeter bolt-on fender extensions. Porsche called it the GT2. But it all started with the comparatively tame Carrera coupe.
This pattern is as reliable as Old Faithful, repeatable as a Newtonian law, and anticipated like the second course of a fine meal. In the four generations of 911 since the 993, each initial unveiling is savored for what it is and what it stands for, and car folks faithfully watch for what’s next.
Watchfulness was a theme throughout the prophecy of Jeremiah. In fact, God used a picture illustration to demonstrate watchfulness when he initially appointed Jeremiah to relay prophecy and truth:
“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of an almond tree,’ I replied. The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’” (Jeremiah 1:11-12)
Hebrew: has same root letters as the verb meaning “to be eager, alert, diligent, ready to act.”
In Hebrew, the word for “watching” sounds like the word for “almond tree,” because “almond tree” (Eitz haSha-KED) has the same root letters as “watching,” or being eager, alert, and ready to act. This is probably due to its growth cycle; almond trees are the first to bear fruit after winter. People watch for almond blooms, which signify the end of winter and the start of spring growth. God was telling Jeremiah that although he would watch over Israel’s necessary punishment and a period of death and dormancy, he would also see them through it and bless them with growth and prosperity. Likewise, Jeremiah should teach the people to watch for God’s presence and strength to rescue them from anything they’re struggling through.
When you’re in the middle of a season of decay and dormancy, God is watching over you, urging you to watch for his miraculous growth. Any seed planted in the ground looks dead, yet the growth that it bears is vastly larger and completely different in appearance. Watch a growing plant sometime and you’ll see. Or watch how the current, 992-generation 911 began with the Carrera coupe and has recently grown into wildly specific variants, like the razor-edged GT3 RS performance machine.
God watched over events in the past too tumultuous to bear. He’s watching over a present age too vast to comprehend. And he’s watching over a future too unpredictable to anticipate. He gives you grace to watch him take all the filth in your life and plant new seeds in it that grow into new blessings. Those blessings, in turn, bloom as testaments to God’s goodness, and remind you that God is making something grow even now. Look at how God performed in the past, and say with the Psalmist, “Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O Lord, have done it” Psalm 109:26-27). God is faithful. Just watch.
Some of the best 993 911s came out like a greatest-hits collection of Porsches; the 1997 Carrera 2S embodied the spirit of the original 911 S from 30 years prior, and the uncouth GT2 followed a precedent set by the burly 934. Only 38 of those were built. Although the GT2 certainly wasn’t a volume seller, enough were built that seeing one in your lifetime is possible. You’ll just have to watch for it.
