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This week we are continuing to look at Luke 12 and in particular, verses 22-34. Please read them every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 12:27-28 (NIV)
‘”Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!”’
Recently at our Oasis Community Church Prayer Watch service, someone, in their prayer, mentioned how amazing it was to see the beauty of God’s creation in the Welsh hills. She was expressing her praise for what most of us take for granted when we look around. Many of us, while going about our normal business, when we see the mountains and the hills, don’t give it a second thought. The reality of course is that we are surrounded by wonderful countryside and our planet is located perfectly in an incredible universe that is a small reflection of the greatness of God. Psalm 19:1 says ‘The heavens declare the Glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His Hands.’
The first word of our verses today is ‘Consider’. This is a word that isn’t used too often in normal colloquial speech but, just like ‘Therefore’, it is a very important biblical word full of meaning. It means ‘to fully observe’, ‘to perceive’, ‘to discover’. In other words, Jesus is asking His disciples to take a timeout from their normal activities and to focus their entire attention on something else.
He has previously exhorted them to think about how God feeds the birds and to trust God that He will take care of our basic needs. Yesterday we briefly looked at how God holds the length of our days in His hands. Jesus extends this today by comparing us to the lilies. We can’t be sure that Jesus is actually referring to a particular flower as some people say that He could just be referring to ‘flowers of the field’. Either way, I want you to picture a field that is full of flowers. Take a few moments to visualise exactly what God is bringing to your mind. Picture the field and take particular note of the colour of the flower. Can you see them swaying in the breeze? Perhaps you can even see bees flying between them. That’s exactly the kind of thing that is entailed in the word ‘Consider’. Don’t just glance at things. Take a good, good look and examine them carefully. Look closer.
What can we learn from such a picture? Well, where did the flowers come from? Did they plant themselves? Are they concerned about what colour they are? Are they worried about how high they’ll grow or if they will survive the wind that is blowing in the field? No, of course not. They are just content to be beautiful, to be what God has made them to be and to rest in His unseen care.
Jesus then goes on to say that they are so beautiful and exist without any toil or worry. He also says that they are incredibly temporary. Here today and gone tomorrow. God takes so much care over, and puts so much detail into something that is so transient.
How much more will God care for you? The phrase ‘O you of little faith’ is a tough one to take when it’s levelled at us. Let us take that to heart and in our prayer time today, thank God for all that He has done for us, praise Him that we are so loved and so cared for and give Him glory for His unfailing provision. Have faith in all that He is and in all that He does.
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