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Noticing Nature Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 7–9 John 1:1–28 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Matthew 6:26 Today's Scripture & Insight: Matthew 6:25–34 A friend and I recently visited a favorite walking spot of mine. Climbing a windswept hill, we crossed a field of wildflowers into a forest of towering pines, then descended into a valley where we paused a moment. Clouds floated softly above us. A stream trickled nearby. The only sounds were birdsongs. Jason and I stood there silently for fifteen minutes, taking it all in. As it turns out, our actions that day were deeply therapeutic. According to research from the University of Derby, people who stop to contemplate nature experience higher levels of happiness, lower levels of anxiety, and a greater desire to care for the earth. Walking through the forest isn’t enough, though. You have to watch the clouds, listen to the birds. The key isn’t being in nature, but noticing it. Could there be a spiritual reason for nature’s benefits? Paul said that creation reveals God’s power and nature (Romans 1:20). God told Job to look at the sea, sky, and stars for evidence of His presence (Job 38–39). Jesus said that contemplating the “birds of the air” and “flowers of the field” could reveal God’s care and reduce anxiety (Matthew 6:25–30). In Scripture, noticing nature is a spiritual practice. Scientists wonder why nature affects us so positively. Maybe one reason is that by noticing nature we catch a glimpse of the God who created it and who notices us. Reflect & Pray Since nature isn’t God, and vice versa, how do you think He can be seen through it? How can you take a few minutes today to notice His care through His creation? God of heaven, earth, streams, and birdsongs, I worship You today. 
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Although there are much more spectacular areas that I have visited, I think I feel the connection to God the most just sitting quietly on my patio and enjoying nature around me. The view, the sky, the birds, the breeze, the sounds and the smells all blend to give that peacefully feeling that God is near. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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I had to come back to share with you how sometimes the lesson shared here is repeated in real life. A young friend of mine just shared a picture of a rotting fence post in which the rotting area and moss looked like a canyon and mountains when viewed just by itself. He said a friend is teaching him to view and appreciate the things in nature in an entirely different way. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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