Nature Speaks (Day 1)

June 04, 2021, By: Jimmy Scruggs

Starter Prayer: God of Creation, give me eyes to see and ears to hear you connecting with me in nature. Teach me how to walk in Jesus’s way of spiritual growth and vitality.

Focus Phrase: God Speaks Through Nature

Today’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 65; Matthew 11:28-29

Today’s Optional Read-along: Water, Wind, Earth and Fire pp. 2-3 (Introduction, heading: Nature as a Book of Revelation).

Spiritual Direction:

My parents took their young children into the Rocky Mountains—camping, exploring and traversing high mountain passes, inaccessible to “normal” travelers. My earliest memories of God are of a deep forest, a fast-moving stream, a glacier topped peak. I used to call Mt. Sopris near Aspen, CO: My Ice Cream Mountain. (I still do!)

How did God capture your attention as a youngster? Where did you first notice God speaking with you in nature? Looking back, what was God saying to you? And in your love of nature, what was your heart expressing to God?

Explore your thoughts and feelings around these questions. If you’d like, write down your reflections. If you’re planning to write or sketch during this journey, consider having a dedicated notebook.

After you finish your time of reading and reflection, say this poem of praise from St. Francis aloud.

All praise be Yours, my God, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all the weather’s moods,
By which You cherish all that You have made. 

All praise be Yours, my God, through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious, and pure. 

All praise be Yours, my God, through Brother Fire,
Through whom You brighten up the night.
How beautiful he is, how gay!
Full of power and strength. 

All praise be Yours, my God, through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits and colored flowers and herbs. 

—ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Be encouraged in your practice,
Katie Martinez

Endnotes

  • For daily texts with the Focus Word, Starter Prayer and link to these daily posts, text the word “journey” to 970-500-0970.
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  • Join the Orange Dots of Hope Facebook Group for spiritual conversations on the journey.

This daily devotion is part of the Summer Growth Journey: Learning to Pray with Nature with Crossroads Church. Many of us are also reading through Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements by Christine Valters Paintner. To purchase a copy, or for more information, email us at [email protected].