A team of archaeologists in 1963 discovered Judean date palm seeds at King Herod’s fortress in Masada near the Dead Sea. The seeds were dated approximately 2000 years old – the time of the Roman Empire! The seeds were stored for a while until a team of scientists could study them. Eventually, they planted one of the seeds. The seed germinated and began to grow, much to the surprise and delight of the scientists.1 The period of time starting with the mature seed to the germination of the seed is called dormancy. This is the time when the seed is at rest or inactive, seemingly lifeless.
There are different types of dormancy for a seed, but the two main dormancies are internal and external. Internal dormancy is caused by the conditions within the seed that prevent germination. External dormancy is caused by environmental factors that are not optimal and do not allow the seed to germinate. Dormancy, however, is a vital component for a seed to grow into a harvest. If a seed germinates too soon without optimal conditions, it will likely perish. Dormancy is an internal clock for the seed that allows it to germinate at the right time so that it will survive and grow.
As mentioned before in this series, the Son of God had seasons of dormancy that He went through. The last time we see Jesus as a boy in scripture was when He was 12 years old speaking with the teachers of the law in the temple. The next time we see Him, He is approximately a 30 year old man beginning His public ministry. What happened during this time? We can only infer from scripture that He “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”2 The bible says much, though, through its silence about these years of Jesus’ life.
There will be seasons of dormancy in our lives also. We, like Jesus, need to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. Any person who has accomplished anything with the Lord has gone through times of dormancy. It seems the Lord particularly enjoys these times to prepare His vessels for future assignments. Dormancy is not a lifeless place. It is actually quite the opposite. Dormancy is teeming with an incredible learning experience, even if we are oblivious to the lessons at the time we are experiencing dormancy. It is a time when the lessons we need are being taught and the godly character we desperately need is being formed within us. God does not waste time, but He is patient in His preparation. He is getting you to a place where your character is catching up with the word He gave to you. Joseph was a man destined for a great role in God’s history, yet he lacked character and would have to experience a couple of dormant seasons before he fully stepped into the place God had for him. During these seasons, the seed he had received through prophetic dreams tested him.3 Joseph surely had days where he wanted to throw those dreams out the window, because what he was living was not anywhere near what had been promised to him. You will have days of feeling this way too, but such is the season of dormancy.
Our problem is that we mistake dormancy for lifelessness. When we receive words from the Lord and don’t see any progress with them, we determine the words were false, irrelevant, or dead. Often the case, just like Joseph, our circumstances progress in the opposite direction to the word we have received. It is during this time that we need to remind ourselves the seed is not dead; it is alive! Just like the natural seed that is sown in darkness and no progress is seen for a season, the promises we have received are not dead; they are just experiencing dormancy. The timing and the conditions are not present for the germination of the seed, but they will be if you continue to walk with the Lord. You may feel like a 2000 year old Judean date palm seed, but your germination is coming. Remember, in dormancy, life is in the seed!
1.http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2008/06/12-01.html 2. Luke 2:52 3. Psalm 105:19
