Purple Flower

I remember looking at the ground after a hurricane. All the leaves and vegetation were stripped away. The ground looked barren and grey. But with rain and sunshine and its warmth, growth comes back. Life is not always barren and without vibrancy and growth. 

Just as the ground brings forth life after a storm, we can be revived for life when we make changes for life to happen. Use God's word as a guideline for life.

Isaiah 55:10

""For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;"

Bee and Purple Wildflower

Caught this bee gathering nectar.  Busy bees always working and producing the fruit of their labor.

We can trust God that as we work for Him, He will bring good to what we have done.

1 Corinthians 15:58 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, 

be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 

knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."

Purple and White Flower

It is not always the large plants or mountain vistas that bring beauty. This flower reminds me that there can be beauty in unexpected places.

God is the same way with us. It is not the mighty man that has His power but one who listens and humbly obeys with courage. God supports those whose heart is completely His. Many times the people God chooses are those the world would not consider. God can use anyone who trusts and believe in Him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

"For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.”

Cone Flower

The flower blooms in the summer. The seeds in the cone head need to go through the winter and then are ready to use in the next Spring to germinate.

The word of God is seed for our hearts and souls. Sometimes we hear the word but don't really get the meaning. After a while the Holy Spirit will quicken to our mind the meaning.

Let us consider the word of God and let the Holy Spirit bring the meaning to us.

Psalm 119:107

"I am exceedingly afflicted;

            Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word."

Water Lillies

Photos taken 8/7/17 Canon EOS 7D 1/250 f7.1 400mm ISO 100

These Lilly plants cover a large part of the water in a wild life area. They are interesting to me because of their size and the beauty of the flowers. They provide food for wildlife but may cause drainage problems. The vast growth of these plants show how they may become a problem.

These plants need to be in the water and we need to be in the water of the Word of God. As we hear God we live. Don't close your ears, resulting in spiritual sleep, but instead hear what God says to us in the Bible. Let us live from what we hear.

John 5:25 ""Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."

Water Hemlock

Every day I see God's goodness and His provision. When there is a storm that destroys, I see growth returning. When there is sun I see the plants worshiping God. When I see rain I see the plants being supplied.

Psalm 65:5-13

"By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,

You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;

6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength,

Being girded with might;

7 Who stills the roaring of the seas,

The roaring of their waves,

And the tumult of the peoples.

8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;

You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;

You greatly enrich it;

The stream of God is full of water;

You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.

10 You water its furrows abundantly,

You settle its ridges,

You soften it with showers,

You bless its growth.

11 You have crowned the year with Your bounty,

And Your paths drip with fatness.

12 The pastures of the wilderness drip,

And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.

13 The meadows are clothed with flocks

And the valleys are covered with grain;

They shout for joy, yes, they sing."

Water Wild Flower

Psalm 61

1 Hear my cry, O God;

Give heed to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a refuge for me,

A tower of strength against the enemy.

4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever;

Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.

5 For You have heard my vows, O God;

You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.

6 You will prolong the king’s life;

His years will be as many generations.

7 He will abide before God forever;

Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.

8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,

That I may pay my vows day by day.

Great Lobelia

Found these flowers at the entrance to a woods hiking trail we were on yesterday.

Cup Plant Wildflower

Ran into these flowers growing in some tall grass.

I look for beauty and unusual things in nature. Usually I find it when my eyes are open to see. It is the same with spiritual things. If we just look at what is natural we will miss spiritual things. Many times we find what we are looking for. God is with us if we will yield to Him and listen to Him.

Let us live in expectation of God showing up. It will change your day.

These Brown Eyed Susans are similar. 

Ohio Spiderwart

Bug getting nectar from an Ohio spiderwart. I've gotten other bugs in close up shots but they didn't look as good as this one.

The timing of this shot has nothing to do with my skill. I just happened upon this shot because it was there. Life is like that. It is going through many processes to get to a good ending.

In the MACRO world of nature there is much that we are not aware of. But is there none the less.

Spiritual life is like that. Much is happening we are not aware of.  Because I am unaware of many things in life, I trust in the Lord.

Holy Spirit lead me.

Star of Bethlehem

Six pointed flower like the six pointed star used in the Israel flag and other symbols.

The flower is small which says to me though many saw the Star of David it was not recognized what it meant by most people. Jesus was a common man and most would not recognize Him. He would appear to most as just another labor worker.

There are 6 petals which points to Israel for they use a 6 pointed star.

The gold center to the flower signifies to me that royalty that Jesus had at birth.

The white petals to the flower point to the purity Jesus had as God coming to earth and living as a man without sin.

Queen-Anne's Lace

The flowers are flat topped. This flower is a wild carrot. They grow tall about 3'

They grow in fields, meadows, roadsides and thrive in dry environments. The roots are like carrots and are pale and woody. They can be used in soups.

Queen-Anne's Lace
They grow in groups often and are taller then the grass. The white dominates the greenery around them. This flower definitely stands out when I come across it.

The name implies royalty. Christians have royalty because the Father adopted us to be a brother to Jesus, who is the King of all the kings.

We can should be able to get what we want because we brothers of the King. Yet we can't have what we want because we have a responsibility to live for the Lord. Therefore we need to use our right in Christ for the purpose of our adoption. Our purpose is to build the Kingdom with people that are committed to Jesus.

Father, bring me to the knowledge of Your riches. But not for squandering them on myself, but to use them for Your glory.

Ephesians 1:3 “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Monarch Butterfly on Calico Aster

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

God has given us His promises to rely on in life. There are many things that come our way but as we rely on God, He brings us through it all.

God is not asleep. He is with us through thick and thin. The problems in the day will not overwhelm you. And the problems at night will not destroy you. We can trust in God and rely on Him in all we face in life.

Can we believe God's promises? Yes we can believe Him. Reject the doubt that naturally comes with trials and instead trust what God says. Jesus is our savior, friend, helper and He is right now in heaven praying for us as we believe what He has promised us.

Father I look to you to help me through all the problems that come my way.

Pink Wildflower

Tall Bellflower

Also known as American Bellflower.

Psalm 37:4-9 "Delight yourself in the Lord;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light

And your judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

9 For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land."

Don't look at the success of others, instead look to Jesus. Make your delight the Lord and the cares of this world will fall away.

Father, I make you my delight. I seek You, when I'm in need.

White Tower Flower

Psalm 119:89 "Forever O Lord Your word is settled in heaven."

Daisy Fleabane

1 Chronicles 16:7-19

7 Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.

8 Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.

9 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.

10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

11 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.

12 Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,

13 O seed of Israel His servant,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!

14 He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.

15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,

16 The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac.

17 He also confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

18 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,
As the portion of your inheritance.”

19 When they were only a few in number,
Very few, and strangers in it,


Here is a photo I got in 2015

Butterfly Milkweed

The purpose of flowers is to attract pollinators.  They are fun to find and take pictures of as I hike.

In my devotions today I was reading and meditating on church leadership. Some leaders seem to try to be flowers to attract people to come to their meetings. They preach flowery sermons to tickle peoples ears. 2 Timothy 4:3 In this process they neglect to tell the people the hard truths of life.

Our politicians seem to be doing the same thing. They get elected by promising goodies but fail to make the hard decisions of leadership.

Father, I want to follow You and walk in truth and not deception. Thank you for Your guidance.

Purple Prairie Clover

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea )growing in the grass.

Psalm 65:12 New Living Translation

"The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy."

Father, let me see what you have made with joy.

Common Every Day Wildflower

I couldn't find this flower on the wildflower keys. We found this flower on bluffs near the Missouri river.

This reminds me of the Scripture that speaks of the type of people following Jesus. Not many wise not many noble.

1 Corinthians 1:26 "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;"

Father, let me not think highly of myself. Let me not be discouraged in what I am doing. You have called me and I look to You to do Your work with me.