Up, Down and Around.....Winter Garden Glimpses

 Sometimes my garden wanders are only very brief, but in winter particularly the warmth of the sun is very welcome even if short. But it is amazing when we are still and pause to take in the scenes around us we begin to see things we would otherwise miss...no wonder we are told by God in Scripture in Psalm 46:10 to

 'be still and know that I am God'. 

I think we often assume this is referring to a need to get alone and pray or close our eyes and shut out the world and remember in any situation that God is God. 

But....while it's always good to pause and remember God is God...the context of that little phrase in Psalm 46 I think is more than this. After the Psalm starts out with reminders that God is our help in trouble....verse 9 says to 'come behold the works of the Lord...' then verse 10 begins with 'be still and know that I am God', but continues with 'I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' Another way this could be translated is that God will be 'honoured' in our world.

Thus being 'still' to 'know that God is God' is meant to involve 'beholding the works of the Lord'. It's meant to be a time to pause and 'see' the greatness of God, fully sufficient and abundant for any situation or difficulty...and thus honouring him as you acknowledge him as supreme and mighty in who he is and what he does (Prov 3:5). ....and then sharing that with others so that more and more people across the nations of the earth will look to see God and give him glory!

SO

...today in the garden was a little bit of this 'be still' time and I want to share it with you to join me in giving God glory! 

I basically remained 'still' in one spot on a path in our garden, and looked behind me, in front of me, down below eye level and slightly up above eye level...and was able to see several things to cause my heart to be lifted in acknowledgement of God and exalt and honour Him as God (Roman 1:21).

Behind me

Hardly even noticable - and looking like a little insignificant dead leaf caught in the lavender, was:

a Praying Mantis having a bee for lunch

 - he had learnt that in the midst of just sitting still on a lavender frond, his food would come and land on a flower right at his nose and lunch would be ready for the eating! 

In front of me

Bees certainly do not appear to be the epitome of 'being still' !

In fact they are just the opposite, but as I was 'still' and watching them, I saw them stop again and again in order to extract the nectar they needed. They had to pause and be still even momentarily and focus to do the task required.

Below in front

As I was watching the Praying Mantis and then the bees, I head a 'whoosh' noise and notice something land on a flower stalk. I then realised a large (maybe at least 10 cm) locust had arrived - a kind I have not ever seen before. I thought he would fly off again when I slightly moved. But he was not startled at all and just stayed put. Before long he did move slightly across to a different plant that he must have decided would be good for his lunch...as he began to munch!

...and don't you just love his deep solid blue eye!

Above in front

And when I looked up there was the sun shining through the winter colours of the grape vine leaves above as they hung motionless in the cold but calm wind-less winter air.

Sometimes when we are 'still' it can feel like we are wasting time...but it might be the time God's light shines through us most potently!

All the time as I was 'still' and 'beholding the works of the Lord', I was being watched by a gentle quite dove.... which apart from a momentary quick preen, was the epitome of 'being still' as life 'happened' around it... it just rested calmly in the shelter of the yard walls and the warmth of the sun and didn't seem at all bothered by anything at all.

Sometimes our 'being still' is long lengths of time to wait for the Lord's provision like the Praying Mantis, sometimes it is a quick pause just to focus on the task God has in front of us to attend to like the bees, sometimes it is pausing from 'flight' long enough to see where we really need to move next like the locust, and sometimes its a being still while not being disturbed by all that is going on around us like the dove. 

And sometimes its just enjoying the warmth and light of the sunshine of God's love shine through us in the season God has for us, like a leaf on the winter grape vine.

Whatever the context of our 'being still', may you be encouraged as I was, with reminders and assurances all around us wherever we are, that God 'is', for and in every context, and thus we can praise and honour Him wherever we are across the world so that He will be 'exalted among the nations'!