Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Consider the Lilies" for Sunday, 14 September 2014 - Read John 1:1-5

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Consider the Lilies" for Sunday, 14 September 2014 - Read John 1: The Life-Light
1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
    God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
    in readiness for God from day one.
3-5 Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn’t put it out.
Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”(Matthew 6:28-29 (NRSV))
A friend gave me a small clump of moonflowers, a variety of evening primrose. On many evenings, after the sun has disappeared from the horizon and a little light remains, I wait, thrilled with anticipation. Tightly closed buds look as if they would be days from opening; but as I watch, a stem begins to quiver a bit and soon the sides of the buds begin to burst open, showing little slits of yellow. Right before my eyes, the closed petals open into flowers. Sometimes one at a time, sometimes several at a time, the moonflowers open. My delight never diminishes.
Recently, my husband and I have been experiencing a difficult time, yet through it all we have been conscious of the prayers of many people and the faithfulness of God. The unfathomable reliability and dependability of God is like the brightness of those yellow flowers, opening in the darkness. Both bring a burst of joy, a sense of awe, and the security of knowing that God is working in even the darkest situations of our lives.
The Author: Ruth Smith Meyer (Ontario, Canada)
Thought for the Day: With God’s help we can discover beauty in our darkest times.
Prayer: Creator God, how delightful it is to discover that you bring blossoms in the night and hope to the dark times of our lives so that we are conscious of your presence and love!Amen.
Prayer focus: Those experiencing trials
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