God Speaking

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Psalm 118: 24)

I have a dear friend with whom I walk with each week and as we live in such a beautiful part of the world, our walks take us through spectacular displays pf God’s majesty in creation. One of our favourite walks, is along the sea wall which is boarded with stately trees. After one of these walks my friend wrote a beautiful poem about the contentment she felt the trees were exhibiting, which really intrigued me and made me realise that the glory of the Lord is proclaimed though nature and what we humans can learn from this.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” (Psalm 19: 1 – 2)

Morning Glory

Champagne sunshine bubbling though a canopy of variegated green

Stately trees silhouetted against a sapphire sky

Taking their place in history.

Quiet nature content with today

Letting the ebb and flow of existence

Tell the story.

Happy and sad but unaffected by emotion

Accepting the inevitable rhythm

Of life.

– Anonymous (My Friend)

After reading this poem, I too saw the contentment of the trees, accepting their Creator’s complete control of their lives. They weren’t wasting time worrying about how many leaves they were able to produce, yesterday. They weren’t concerned that perhaps a big wind storm might occur tomorrow. They knew they were part of the incredible plan of life and they were content to accept the day planned by their Creator.

What a wonderful lesson for us to learn! We could save ourselves so much useless heartache and worry if we adopted that attitude, recognising that we are not in control, being willing to trust the Lord with our lives, being willing to be content with today and when we do that, the Lord blesses us

“The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content untouched by trouble.” (Proverbs 19: 23)

When we look at the apostle Paul’s life it certainly does not look like he sailed through without any trouble, but his attitude is an amazing example for us to contemplate and try to follow if we wish to obtain the contentment Scripture refers to.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12 – 13)