Pondering Proverbs

Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, you slacker consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler. Yet it prepares its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

Do you remember the “Nature Table” that once was part and parcel of every primary school classroom, when we were encouraged to bring something that we had found in nature. Sometimes our contribution was just for decoration whilst on other occasions they would lead to imparting some new knowledge.

We are surrounded by lessons on how to love God and love each other. Of all these, Scripture of course plays the biggest role. But the world around us was also spoken into existence by God. We don’t need to choose one-over-the-other in our spiritual growth.

Our natural environment doesn’t just teach us about Creation in an academic sense, although it can. It leads us towards an appreciation of God’s glory. It can help us nurture the fruits of the spirit. The sense of wonder that nature sparks can inspire personal dedication to God.

In other words, when Psalm 19 states that “the heavens declare the glory of God,” it reminds us that the goodness of creation points towards the goodness of the Creator.
Followers of Christ are invited to practice eco-discipleship. God calls us to not only learn about Creation, but to learn from Creation.

Eco-disicipleship is our opportunity to explore how Christ’s Good News applies to all of creation. We can learn from the way nature behaves. We can practice working with the land ourselves. Furthermore, we can practice listening to those whose lives are more integrated with nature, like farmers or indigenous people. We can also simply walk in a place teeming with natural beauty impossible to ignore, and let that stillness lead us into worship.

Creator God, Thank you for the rich lives we are privileged to have, the living things around us, and the beautiful plants that populate your earth. Thank you for the blessing of harmony in nature, and may the earth continue to thrive under your loving presence. Oh God of new creation, we thank you. Amen.