Tending a Garden

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies

Lord of all to thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise!

O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures forever.  Psalm 136:3

     Early morning in the summertime finds me out in the garden exploring all the things God is growing there.  I examine each one for pests, and tenderly remove them.  I trim away the dead blooms and add them to the compost pile that will later provide nourishment to the plants.  I viciously yank out weeds that threaten to choke out my vegetables and flowers.  I water them so they don't wilt in the scorching July heat.  And each day, I marvel at how God designed each plant and sends the sunshine and rain and even the gardener to help the plants grow. 

     Today, that got me thinking about the parallels between the roles of an earthly gardener and God's role as the Gardener in our lives.  Each day He gives His word to nourish us.  He sends others to remind us of His word and how we can apply it so that we can best grow.  He sends sunny days so that we can praise Him and grow through our knowledge of His awesome goodness.  Sometimes he sends those rainy days  to grow us in trust and the knowledge that all things work for our good - - even those torrential downpours that seem to shake the roots of our faith from the firm soil we thought they were in!  He gently prunes off the parts of us that need to be - constantly conforming us to His image.  He listens to our prayers and helps us to remove the weeds that keep us from becoming the beautiful creatures He intended.  

    I'm so glad that God can speak to us through His creation and reveal Himself to us through it!  What an awesome God we have!

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 12:24-31