Plants Attest To God's Glory

The wild plants that we see every day can teach us a lot about the diversity of God’s creation. Even those who live in inner Cities can witness this testament to glory by examining wild plants growing in vacant lots and even cracks in sidewalks.

For untold centuries, organized religion has used plants as teaching tools. This was especially important at a time when most laymen were illiterate. While a farmer, miller or baker couldn’t read, he could quickly recite fact, lore and legend concerning the wild plants that grew all about.

It might surprise a modern-day herbalist to know how the popular herb St. John’s wort got its name. Supposedly, this often scraggly plant bloomed on the birthday of St. John the Baptist.

Then we have shamrocks. These three-leaved clover-like plants were a perfect teaching aid for St. Patrick to use to illustrate the Holy Trinity to the Irish people.

But besides their use in teaching God’s word, plants themselves show us a lot about life. Often, a quick glance at a plant reveals nothing out of the ordinary, but when viewed closely, or perhaps under magnification, plants display properties that amaze us. Hidden traits come to life. This is apparent, for instance, when holding a leaf of St. John’s wort up to a magnifying glass. At once, we see that the little black dots on the back of the leaf are not just spots, but something like craters. These are oil pockets. And unless we look closely, we don’t see them.

Even some houseplants and garden plants tell about God. Prayer plants, for example, fold their leaves in the evening as sunlight wanes. And passionflower was so-named because it teaches various aspects of our Lord’s passion on the cross.

The power of life that God imparted to each living thing, including plants, is clearly demonstrated in the little shoots of chives that grow even under a coating of snow. When the time comes for chives to grow, they do so despite snow, ice and freeing cold. This is made possible by a process that turns the bottom layer of snow to a sheet of ice, something like a pane of glass. This thin layer of ice protects the plants below. And then diffused light from the springtime sun penetrates the snow, gets magnified by the “glass” and warms the ground so that the nascent chives can grow.

So really, the beauty of creation is even more spectacular than we might realize. Just take a closer look and prepare to be amazed.

It’s the same with the word of God. If you haven’t read the bible, I suggest you read the Gospel of John. But don’t speed-read it. Go about it slowly and deliberately, just as when viewing a plant with a magnifying glass. You’ll be amazed at what scripture reveals as Gods speaks to you through his word.

This dewdrop in the center of a lupine rosette magnifies and reflects its surroundings