NSM Evotional 07/02/2012

A Glory Seed Devotional
Sounds and Silence…

Sitting in my chair this morning I can hear the sounds of life. A crow sings in the distance. Cars drive by carrying people to and from work. A week or so ago while resting on a bench in the Fort Gratiot Township Nature Preserve suddenly I found myself surrounded by silence. I could hear no traffic. There were no birds chirping. The trees stood still. I love times like that. While I appreciate the sounds of nature, I also appreciate the sound of silence and that morning while listening to the sound of silence I wrote something that has grabbed my attention and refuses to let go. “It is so quiet this morning I can hear that butterfly flying away from me.”

Have you ever heard a butterfly in flight? Does the movement of the butterfly’s wings even make a sound? Is a waste of time trying to listen to something that doesn’t really make a sound? If I told you listening to a butterfly flying were a matter of life and death, would you laugh at me and think I’ve gone bonkers.
Before you do let me share with you some words I wrote a year or so ago under similar circumstances. (The tune loosely follows the melody to “Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain.) (Can you really hear rain as it falls?)

Listen to the flowers as they grow each day,
Listen to the flowers grow…

Listen to the flowers as they grow each day,
And you will hear the voice of God…

Listen to the butterfly as it flies away,
Listen to the butterfly fly…

Listen to the butterfly as it flies away,
And you will hear the voice of God…

In the silence as I watched the white butterfly fly away, I could hear God reminding me that he was a God of miracles, that nothing was impossible for him. The God we believe in is so big and powerful he defies our capacity to comprehend him yet through the simplicity and frailty of a small butterfly (or a flower growing) he reminds us he is also a God of wonders and miracles.

I am not sure what prompted the Psalmist to write this but maybe, just maybe it was a butterfly in flight (who knows), “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalms 46:10 ESV)

Before I forget have I a flower story for you tomorrow!

Grace and PEACE!
Gary


Note: Should you want to go back and review this Glory Seed or others you can do so by clicking on this link: http://gloryseeds.wordpress.com/.

Scripture quotations marked ESV "Are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."