“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalms 19:1 NIV)

I have been very, very blessed in my lifetime. As an adult, I’ve always had a beautiful home with a yard, and I’ve always had a patio. 

As I think back to the first home my wife and I bought, our yard was small, as was our patio, but the grass was green and the bushes blossomed with beautiful flowers. Or at least, I think they did… To be honest, I can’t remember ever sitting outside on that patio!

Our second home as a married adult was in a small apartment. We didn’t have a yard of our own, but we had a balcony overlooking a large lot of grass. We were able to knock a bit off of our rent by cutting that grass and caring for the bushes and flowers around the apartment building. To be honest, I don’t really remember anything except riding the mower as fast as possible to get the task done so I could go on to other things. As for the balcony, we used it once or twice to eat supper, but went back inside to our various tasks as soon as supper was over…

Next we lived in a mobile home in Arizona. The lot was gravel, but we had a nice porch out front and an awning. My wife did a super job of landscaping that tiny lot. Or at least, she must have, because at one point we received an award for having a beautiful lot… But to be honest, I was rarely even home to even notice it…

We then lived in a nice house with a patio and fenced yard. Or at least, my wife tells me there was a patio, but I was a busy teacher, a father of two young sons, and I was running a ministry. Who had time to sit on the patio and enjoy the plants?

The house where we lived next was on an acre and a half of land. We had beautiful two-tiered deck out back overlooking the grass and the pond at the back of the property. When we first moved there I mowed the grass on the tractor, but when the boys got old enough, they took over that job. I do remember eating on the deck from time to time, but there were too many wasps and mosquitos, and as soon as we finished, I’d duck back inside to “safety” and my computer. 

We now live on a much smaller, city lot. It was just grass when we moved here, and our “patio” was nothing but a slab of concrete. My wife has worked hard on that patch of grass and has turned it into a lovely garden with flowers in every season. We also have a vegetable garden. I am happy to say that this time, I am actually noticing and enjoying the beauty in the yard. Every day that it is nice finds me out sitting in the sunshine or wandering around the yard looking at the vegetables or the flowers. I find so much peace there, and I find it is so easy to connect to God in His beautiful nature. 

Psalms 19 records the following: “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalms 19:2-4a NIV). I may have never taken the time to notice before, but when you meditate on God’s creation, He does speak to you through it! 

Why didn’t I take the time to do this in all the other places I’ve lived? 

I don’t know the answer to that question. Too busy I guess, too many other priorities perhaps. But I can tell you that I was the one missing out on the blessings that God had for me!

Jesus tells us the following two parables, as recorded in the book of Matthew: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46 NIV). Jesus is trying to teach us something here! Time with God, a relationship with God, the Kingdom of God that can come into our hearts when we allow Him to work in our hearts, is the biggest treasure we could ever find! 

Seeking God needs to be our first priority in everything, for when we do, the rest of what we need will be given to us: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV) 

All those years of all those beautiful patios and yards, God was calling me! He was inviting me to spend time seeking Him through nature, and He was promising me that whatever else I needed, I would find. I may have missed that call for all those years, but I don’t miss it anymore! 

What about you? God is calling you in whatever situation you find yourself in to seek Him. You can find Him in your yard. Or if you don’t have one, in a local park. You can find Him anywhere, as long as you seek. Make it your number one priority! You won’t be sorry! For God will surely give you everything else you need when you put Him first!

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries