Look and Consider

creation sings the Father’s song

If I could pick one word to describe life lately, I would choose FULL! One morning a couple of weeks ago, I was feeling particularly busy and a bit overwhelmed, so I decided to go for a walk to slow myself down and spend some time with the Lord. I hoped that on a misty morning, I’d be treated to one of my favorite sights at camp.

Spiderwebs might not be everyone’s favorite thing (I’m not particularly fond of them inside) but when they’re covered in the morning dew, they are so lovely! As I walked through a field, taking time to slow down and look for something as simple as dew-covered spiderwebs, I was amazed at God’s creativity and attention to detail. I even spotted a beautiful dragonfly in the field next to our apartment.

I also spotted this beautiful butterfly in our garden recently. Enjoy!

As I reflected on God’s attention to detail in creation, I was reminded of Matthew 6:25-34 (emphases mine):

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more that food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe, you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

In this passage, Jesus tells the crowd He’s speaking to to direct their attention to creation and consider how God has provided for the birds and the flowers of the field. Then, when they’ve considered God’s provision for the rest of creation, they will have no reason to worry about God’s provision for what they need, and they can freely seek God’s kingdom. If the Lord can create and sustain such an intricate and delicate universe, He can certainly take care of me. I’m so thankful that the Lord created a world that reminds us of His promises to us. It’s such a joy to mediate on His Word, whether we intentionally choose a passage to memorize and meditate on or are spontaneously reminded of Scripture by creation. May the words of our mouths and meditations of our hearts be acceptable in the sight of the LORD, our rock and our redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

Singing God’s greatness: Whate’er My God Ordains is Right, O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer

Join me in memorizing: James 1:22-25

Prayer points:

• Praise God for creating a world that reminds us of His promises to us

• Praise God that we continue to receive interest from prospective students for this fall!

• Please pray for me as I prepare continue my college class this summer. Completing all my work can be a challenge in the midst of other responsibilities.

• Pray that I would be enable to continually trust the Lord’s provision for me in all areas of life.

• Please continue to pray for provision for our prospective students. For several of them, coming to Planted will be financially stretching/difficult. If you’re interested in giving to our student scholarship fund, you can do so here, leaving a comment that your gift is specifically for student scholarships.

Ministry moment: All the Planted staff have been working hard in preparation for the students’ arrival in a month (craziness!), whether that means keeping the garden going, preserving the harvest, processing student forms, or thinking through workflows for the fall. We’ve also been enjoying hosting retreats and events like a couples’ date night, on the camp side of things.

Rooted in Him,

Kate