Grain a' Voler

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” ~Psalm 40:2 NIV

If you’re ever feeling adventurous, locate the most secluded road you can find in Louisiana and follow it until it runs out of asphalt.  Then head south, down the bayou until you run out of road.  Finally, take your pirogue (you did bring your pirogue, didn’t you?) and paddle the flat bottomed boat to the coastal marshes of South Louisiana.  Different than a swamp, a marsh is typically more shallow and covered with high grasses rather than trees.  Known as “Sportsman’s Paradise” to the many hunters and fishermen who frequent the area, South Louisiana contains 40-45% of the wetlands found in the lower 48 states.  Marshes are critically important to wildlife habitat, often serving as breeding grounds for a wide variety of animal life.  In fact, as you paddle the placid waters, the air will be teeming with activity ranging from the throaty calls of the reptiles chasing fish below your bateau to the strangely harmonious buzzing of the insect life swarming just over your head.  The many geese, ducks, and egrets that populate the area should also be given special recognition.  Many people travel these secluded waters just to hunt or photograph the different variety of waterfowl Louisiana has to offer.

If you are fortunate enough, you may even come across a patch of American Lotus blossoms the locals call Grain a’ Voler.  Pronounced Grah-NUH VOH-Lay, the Cajun French term means “seeds that fly” or “seeds in the air “.  This plant was introduced to the Acadian’s by Native Americans who ate the seeds as a tasty snack.  This tradition is still in practice today by many of the locals.  In fact, a quick search on the Internet will return quite a few recipes for grain a’ voler stew. 

Many residents who live in the areas where these water plants grow believe their name is derived from the fact that when the seed pods are left to wither, their husks retract and eject the seeds into the air (some say they can be cast as far as twenty feet).  They are then seemingly discarded into the muddy shallows where they are apparently forgotten in the murky waters of the marsh.  That is,of course, until the following July when the implanted seeds develop, flower, and proliferate in the hot mid-summer temperatures.  Coming across a patch of flourishing blossoms is quite a magnificent sight.  The leaves of the pads are gigantic and are considered a nuisance by many travelling by motor boat.  It is VERY easy to see why.  Most leaf petioles extend as much as 6 1/2 feet and end in a round leaf blade 13–17 inches in diameter.   Most mature plants range in height from 2 1/2 feet to just under 5 feet tall.  Anchored in the nutrient rich, marsh bottom, the stalks of the plant substantiate and emerge from the waters surface reaching upward towards the light from the heavens.  The lotus flower itself is a beautiful bloom of white and yellow that can expand from a range of  6 to 12 inches.

“It’s good to go through something every now and then.  That way, you find out who your real friends are.” ~Bishop Raymond W. Johnson

Like the seeds of the American Lotus, there have been many great men and women of God who have been discarded and seemingly forgotten by people whom they once called friend.  It only takes a moment to find several related cases recorded in the pages of the Holy Bible.  Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) were cast into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to an idol god (Daniel 3:1-30).  Daniel is thrown in the lions den for refusing to stop praying to the one true God (Daniel 6:1-28).  Joseph was thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (Genesis 37:1-36).  And let us not forget our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who was crucified and buried in a tomb for a crime he didn’t commit (Matthew 26:36 -  Matthew 27:60).

As horrific as these stories may sound, they all have a spectacular ending.  For even in the midst of their respective trials, God was using their struggles to substantiate something much greater.  The term substantiate is a verb that has several meanings.  However, each can be applied here.  1. to establish by proof or competent evidence: to substantiate a charge. 2. to give substantial existence to: to substantiate an idea through action. 3. to affirm as having substance; give body to; strengthen: to substantiate a friendship.

Even though sentenced to death by fire, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego walked out of the flames substantiated (2) and unharmed with a fourth “person” by their side.  They were later promoted by the very same king in the province of Babylon that ordered that they be thrown into the fire and a decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against their God be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble.  Daniel spent the night in the lions den substantiated (1) and unharmed by the savage beasts that were meant to destroy him because God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions.  King Darius then threw Daniels enemies in the den and wrote a decree that in every part of his kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.  Joseph spent approximately 13 years in bondage but, because of God’s favor was substantiated (3) and made overseer of the wealthiest nation on earth.  He was later approached by the same family members who enslaved him in a time when they were suffering from financial hardship because of a famine.  Instead of returning their evil actions with more evil, he chose to show them the loving kindness they refused to show him and gave them the best that Egypt had to offer.  Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of man, but was resurrected and sits substantiated (1,2,3) on the right hand of our Heavenly Father.  An event preordained by the omniscient and sovereign will of God, Christ’s sacrifice set all who accept him free from the bondage of sin.

‎“When a man has quietly made up his mind that there is nothing he cannot endure, his fears leave him.” ~Grove Patterson

Beloved, I am here to tell you that your fiery furnace, your lions den, your pit, and even what seems to look like your grave may only be the fertile proving ground that substantiates you as a leader in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Those people who were sent to destroy you or who gossip and plot evil against you are only setting you up for a victory that our carnal eyes are too temporal to see.  The slanderous accusations of your loved ones may hurt now, but they will eventually act as the stalk that will elevate you out of the murky depths of abandonment and hopelessness.  I know some things may look bad now, but if you just remain faithful and patiently endure to your right season, you will develop, flower, and proliferate as the man or women of God that you have been called to be.  Know in your heart that God has not forgotten you.  Raise up out of the murky shallows of life and reach upward to the light that is Christ beckoning you from Heaven.  Be Blessed, My Friends.  Be an Overcomer!

~Bro. Jason Z. Hunt

Memory Verse:  “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:2 NIV

Memory Word:   “Substantiate”: 1. to establish by proof or competent evidence: to substantiate a charge. 2. to give substantial existence to: to substantiate an idea through action. 3. to affirm as having substance; give body to; strengthen: to substantiate a friendship.

Inspiring Music:  “We Fall Down” by Donnie McClurkin and “Soul Survivor” by Deitrick Haddon