God's Wondrous Blessings

Today I went to the nearby drive-in testing centre because my place of work is more than 5km from my home, and this has become routine of late.  ABC radio teased an upcoming program that encouraged people to "get back to nature" and experience the "spiritual" benefits of connecting with the land.  There is much the secular calls spiritual I have no desire to connect with, but if what is meant is the appreciation and awe of God for His awesome creation, I agree.  The glory of God is seen in the heavens and on the earth, and knowing what we see and experience is a revelation of His creative genius fills us with adoration for the greatness of our God whose ways are past finding out.

As I sat in my car with the window open, waiting for my turn to be swabbed, a leaf from a gumtree dropped inside the cabin.  I picked up the slender leaf of a deep purple colour with a light green vein that ran down the centre.  The leaf was cool, dry and flexible as I twisted it gently in my hands.  To think this leaf was not only beautiful but functional to help a tree utilise the light of the sun for the process of photosynthesis is remarkable.  For some reason this leaf fluttered down from a towering height into my car and I held a little bit of nature in my hands as I stared and wondered over the amazing and awesome Creator who devised such living things.

When I was a kid I would souvenir leaves, cover them with a piece of white paper, and gently run a pencil over the entire surface of the leaf to make a copy.  I could not draw a leaf on my own, much less conceive to design a living, functional leaf or tree!  This is what God does, and much more besides.  He says of people created in the image of God who fear Him and meditate in His law day and night in Psalm 1:3:  "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."  Evergreen trees naturally shed their leaves, yet the believer in God has the promise of fruitfulness and prosperity in doing what God created us to do:  to know, trust and grow in His grace and bring Him glory.

Getting back to nature may have great benefits, but nothing compares with turning our hearts to the LORD in worship and thanksgiving.  The heavens declare the glory of God, and a small leaf was a reminder to prompt me to worship God and share His goodness with you.  Isn't our God marvelous who does all things well, the Almighty who causes blessings to drop down upon us by His grace?