Every Wednesday we invite you to Pause & Pray with us. Today’s reflection is curated by Maeve Perrin.

(Image: Gallery Design Studio)

Pray

A Prayer at Tree Planting

LORD, it may seem odd
That I should pray here, now.
But when I plant trees
I’ve things to say to God.

These little trees are Yours,
You know, not just mine.
A redwood grove twelve inches tall
Is hardly anyone’s at all,
I suppose, except by faith.

A man gets to wondering,
Between bulldozers and the fears
Of war, why look ahead
A hundred, even thirty years?

I don’t know…except
As these trees grow
I hope my great grandchildren
Or someone’s boys and girls
Play hide-and-seek
Among the towering trunks
And chattering squirrels.

I hope they hear beauty
In the singing boughs
And birds. I hope they
Breathe clean forest air
And find Your peace.

When my hands press moist soil
Carefully about the roots
I feel Your life and love,
I feel a world reborn.

O, God, heal the scars
Of earth with trees,
And not with snags
And thorn.

By Arthur O. Roberts, sourced from Prayers From the Heart (1994), Richard J. Foster

Reflect

What hopes do you have for the future, uncertain as it is? Have you been hopeful in your work, why or why not? What tasks of your hands do you wish to dedicate to God, joining Our Creator in the work of rebirth?

Listen

“You Hold It All” The Porter’s Gate, Leslie Jordan, and Jon Guerra