. . . God's ecosystems . . .

Recently, my prayer walks have ventured further from the immediate vicinity of my church's neighborhood. It's not that I've grown bored, but I have become accustomed to many of the neighbors and people who routinely work around here. I've even been invited to exercise, socially distanced of course, with the two neighbors across the street! I have been at this church for over a month now, and exploration is calling me! 

I added five minutes to my prayer walk today and found myself mesmerized by a lawn near the corner of Huntington & Wyandotte.

While most lawns in this area are beautifully landscaped, this one was different. Ivy crept from the fringes of the yard onto the sidewalk causing me to pause and take notice. Thick trees and bushes overshadowed the house and my first reaction was that this home was in disrepair or abandoned. However, as I stopped in order to avoid tripping, I noticed birds swooping into snack from one of the multitude of feeders. Purple, orange, yellow, and red wildflowers emerged from a variety of grasses around the property. As I stood taking in this serene vision, I noticed the flutter of butterflies amid this human-made ecosystem. Water gently bubbled from a fountain that brings together a community of wildlife unbothered by the city surroundings.

Someone had taken great care to provide a space in an otherwise manicured neighborhood to provide a place for an ecosystem to exist. It reminded me of the ecosystem God has created for us.

Psalm 104 speaks of the Almighty's presence within God's very own exquisite creation. You wear light like a robe;
you open the skies like a curtain.
You build your lofty house on the waters;
you make the clouds your chariot,
going around on the wings of the wind. (Read the entire Psalm here)


Notice how God is clothed in and dwells within God's very creation. Our creator has crafted and given us this magnificence, and continues to walk among us. God has created this place for us to be with each other and the Lord. When we don't take time to slow down, we miss the grandeur, we miss God's presence, we miss each other. We go from one venture to the next and opportunity to opportunty. After a while we forget about the harmony of God's realm among us. We forget meeting each other and miss the greatness of God's ecosystem made for us.

We are made for community with God and each other - so I ask you this question today:

Where have you seen God this week - when have you gathered with others to share your experiences?

I'd love to know.