A flower is a beautiful thing to behold. You plant the seed and tenderly watch it grow. You witness the first shoots dawning in the morning and the vibrant green leaves growing out. You rejoice as you see little buds pop out and then open up to produce a colorful, fragrant flower. Each step is ordered perfectly for the sake of the Creator’s glory and the creature’s joy. So too are the ways of the Lord. In the same way that Solomon can tell us to look to the ant and the sloth, it is prudent for us to observe creation and remember the ways of the Lord.

The salvation of the Lord, through the implantation of His Word, is like the growth of a precious plant. He sows the seed of His Word deep into the soil of the heart. At first, there is nothing to see—just bare earth. But hidden beneath that soil lies a life-giving seed. The Lord, by His Spirit, watches over it, tenderly caring for what is unseen. In the depths of the heart, He broods over His Word and causes it to sprout.

As the seed begins to grow, early shoots emerge—fragile, yet full of promise. This is the dawning of gospel joy in the soul, the first signs of new life in Christ. One might look upon that tiny plant and wonder what it will become. But the Lord, the Master Gardener, sees the end from the beginning. He provides all that the young plant needs: nourishment from His Word, shelter and encouragement from the fellowship of more mature believers, and the strengthening grace of His holy sacraments.

With time, the plant matures. Buds form and eventually bloom into flowers. So too, the Christian begins to bear the fruit of good works, clothed in righteousness. The Lord brings the full weight of His Word to bear upon the soul, conforming the believer to the image of His Saviour. The Christian begins to adorn himself with what pleases the Master.

Then the storms come—rain and howling wind. But the now-strengthened stem withstands the trial. In the same way, the Lord graciously brings trials into the life of the believer. These are not signs of His displeasure, but instruments of His love. Through them, the Christian is strengthened and refined. The Father knows that it is through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God, and that in sharing the sufferings of Christ, we are also glorified with Him.

At last, the plant lays down its weary head and dies. The flowers fall, the leaves fade—but this is not the end. Through its death, the soil is enriched and new life springs up. And is it not the same for the Christian? Death is not his final resting place, but the threshold of glory. What was sown in weakness is raised in power. What was sown in mortality is raised immortal. The Lord lays the saint to rest, only to raise him in glory.

And then comes that great Day. The garden is in full bloom. All the flowering plants, fully grown and perfected, are brought before the Lord of glory. What a sight it will be! A multitude beyond number, a great host of saints, radiant and Christlike, declaring the kindness and majesty of God. There we will stand—never again to wither, never again to die—forever alive in the presence of the Lamb.

Pay attention to the work of the Lord. He is tenderly at work in your life, dear believer. Waiting and watching, caring and covering, and so let us wait upon him to complete the good work that he has begun in us.