Thought for the day - Saturday 10 October

Thought for the Day – Saturday 10th October ‘He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain - first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.’ (Mark 4: 26-28) I came across a picture the other day of my very first garden. Well, I say garden but what I mean is building site because it was our first home forty-three years ago in Keynsham and it was a newly built house with a garden full of builders’ rubble and the like. Being just newly married and a little bit homesick, well actually a huge bit homesick, I threw myself into clearing the garden and was determined to get it ready for planting, it became my wee haven. I did not actually have much experience of gardening but I got myself a book out of the library and my neighbour was full of useful advice, so before long I had a good area cleared and was ready to plant in one patch of the garden. I planted my vegetable seeds more in hope than expectation and then to my surprise a few weeks later seedlings appeared and later still roots developed and before I knew it all my vegetable seeds were sprouting and looking very healthy indeed. Well, to me in that alone was a wonderful demonstration of God’s creative power! By the way, I did go on to get a good crop from my first ever plantings! I quote that little example because I think this whole issue of God’s creative power can be applied to so many different areas of life. So often, God works away behind the scenes in ways far beyond our imagining and though we cannot see it, let alone understand how it happens he takes the most unpromising of materials or situations and creates out of them something unrecognisable from that with which he started. If life were entirely in our hands, our future destiny shaped solely by our own efforts, then what a sorry state of affairs that would be! If we had to tackle the problems we face without any assistance, or respond to God’s call in our own strength, how bleak the prospect would seem! Thank goodness then, that God in his sovereign power is able to work without any other assistance to fulfil his will and accomplish his purpose. Thanks be to God for that! Prayer Loving Lord, Lord of small seeds and mighty plants, you take our meagre lives and with your love cause them to produce acts of loving kindness for you in this world. You hear our cries and find us when we are lost and wandering in fear. You bring us home with you so that we may be made whole, rejoicing in your goodness. Help us to joyfully serve you all our days, knowing that you are always watching over us and prepare our hearts to receive your word and our spirits to respond in eagerness to serve you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.