Somewhere a plant grows—a stalk of wheat, an ear of corn—and this assures us that our God reigns.

We have so much to do, so many worries, so little money, so many hardships. We pray about these things, yet before we complete a sentence we are off solving our problems or fretting about what could be. If only Jesus’ words would slow us down so we could listen and consider the realities of our Father’s care. It certainly would be nice to consider birds and lilies (Matt 6:25-34).

When my father-in-law was dying of cancer, a bird showed up at his window. It perched there for much longer than a bird should perch, and sang loud and long. Until he died, my father-in-law’s way of warding off anxiety was to consider the bird. Sheri and I have a large picture of a sparrow in our house as a way to remind us of both her father and our Father.

Today, consider a plant. Somewhere, in your backyard, or in Iowa, or in an irrigated California desert is a plant that is growing. It is growing because our Father gives us food at the proper time (Ps 104:27). While we are worrying about tomorrow, God grows that plant, and that plant will eventually be our bread.

Somewhere a plant grows, and that plant is undisputable evidence of God’s love and care for us.