Grass and Flowers

 by Macy Johnson

“The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God stands forever.”

(Isaiah 40:8 NIV)

 

My husband mowed the grass in our yard one spring morning while I walked my regular route near our house. The fragrance sent me back to childhood days of tumbling in the front yard with friends. I love the smell of a freshly mown lawn.

 

For Mother’s Day he gave me a beautiful basket of petunias, which I hung on a shepherd’s hook on the balcony outside my studio window. A few days later I watched the early-morning rain dance on the flower petals and thought of how the Lord provides for all our needs, even water for His surrounding beauty. I was reminded how Jesus gently nourishes us so we will grow in grace and knowledge of Him. The purple and white blossoms seemed to wake up and fill out more and more as water splashed over them.

 

“This Is My Father’s World” is a hymn written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901). Maltbie was an athlete and Presbyterian minister in Lockport, New York. He pens, “In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.” I love this hymn because it introduces children to God in objects their young minds can grasp: grass, trees, birds, flowers, clouds, wind, and the sandy beach, where I am vacationing this week.

 

The last stanza of this hymn reminds us God is in control and will win the final battle. Things of this earth will pass away, but His Word stands forever. One day this planet will be made new and we will joyfully learn to live in perfect harmony and beauty.

 

I seek God in His amazing creation with hope of eternal peace in His kingdom. I hope you will, too!