As darkness recedes,
Three gray-cloaked does,
Pick their dainty way among the leaves,
Stop, turning east,
Watching,
Waiting,
Giving attention to the age-old rhythm
of the orange life-giving eye
Peeking above the trees.
Standing still,
Exhaling smoky wisps,
like incense
Spiraling to their Creator,
In wordless prayer they accept the warmth
and light
of the new day.
“He is like the light of morning at sunrise…” -2 Samuel 23:4a
When I watch the deer walking through our forest, I respect and admire them. The does are graceful, slender, poised; the bucks are strong and stocky. As they scamper down the hill, beginning another day of foraging among sparse trees and shrubs, I am reminded that God is the giver, the one who provides. We, his creatures, receive from his hand, worship him, and abide.
Wild animals often seem to respond to God more trustingly than we do. The deer abide each day going through their rhythms, browsing woody shrubs and sprouts, grazing on acorns. They receive the nourishment and accept their slowed digestion as a winter gift protecting them from starvation during the less abundant months.
Humans hunger after significance, and although this arises because we are spiritual beings, it can breed discontent. If we could learn from other parts of God's creation, like the deer in my poem, perhaps we could imitate their humble acceptance of the dailyness of life, how they trust they will find enough for today. Theirs is an uncomplicated faith. When they stopped to watch the sun rise above the horizon at first light of day, the simplicity of this act, whether intentional on their part or not, spoke to my spirit about how simple trust in God matters.
May my acts of faith be simple and steady, like the deer turning in quiet awe towards the sunrise. In the midst of their survival patterns of roaming, grazing, and foraging, they stopped - a moment of stillness, like a prayer, as the sun rose. May I be that faithful, and my dependence on God be genuine. Like the deer, may I not think too highly of myself, but accept God's provision with humble trust. True worship is noticing God in small ways and everyday moments, and these are often the most profound.
“All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
When you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works - he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”
by Heather J. Willis
Comments