We have a big catalpa tree in our backyard that didn’t exist 7 years ago when we moved into our house. Its giant leaves tower over our back deck and make our tiny piece of urban land look lusher than it is.
It caught my attention this morning on the way out of the house and I found myself thinking of just how amazing it is. I’ve worked a garden before and it takes a lot of work to get it going. But then, at the same time, I have this giant tree in my backyard that I did nothing to establish. It planted and grew itself. The most we did was trim it a few times.
After thinking about this for a bit, I headed to my side job where my superintendent shared a staff devotion about seeds and gardening. After planting tons of new grass in his yard, he had sensed God say, “Trust the seed.”
My mind was quickly taken back to all of my thoughts just a few hours before and I realized I had been set up. Since God’s voice can often be mistaken for our own thoughts, I realized he was syncing me up this morning to be ready to pay attention to the devotional on a deeper level—for he was speaking to me on the same subject, knowing I’d encounter it in a bit. Furthermore, I think all of this may related to a prophetic word I was given at church on Sunday. It’s cool how God continues to work in that way.
This is not the first time something like this has happened. I remember one day I was really focused on the idea of wind, which seemed odd. And then when I went to study my Bible passage for the day, it was on the topic of the Spirit blowing like the wind.
While I’ve preached and written plenty on this topic before, it’s always fun when you experience a new life story to further illustrate it.
Jamin Bradley 