MY LIFE, MY PLANT

READ: Hosea 11

They were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore they forgot Me. – Hosea 13:6

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 4-6

Guests probably wonder why I keep a scraggly fern in my living room. I’ve gotten so used to its unsightliness that I seldom think to explain. The plant symbolizes a friendship that has become fragile, and I keep it in a prominent place as a reminder to pray for my friend, which I do whenever I water it. Its dried leaves make it obvious that I don’t water it often enough, which also means that I don’t pray often enough for my friend.

My fern is drying up because I don’t water it until it wilts, and I carry that attitude along with me into my spiritual life. As long as my life is not in crisis, I figure that prayer can wait a while. But I’m wrong. When God’s blessings make me think I don’t need Him, I am needier than ever.

The book of Hosea summarizes God’s relationship with His chosen nation in words that parallel my own spiritual experience. God blesses, I grow; God satisfies, I take credit; God withholds His blessing, I realize my neediness; God reveals my sin, I repent; God forgives, I renew my devotion.

I’ve learned from my plant that I must pray even when I don’t see the need. I need God just as much when I’m being blessed as when I am in crisis. – Julie Ackerman Link

It’s easy to forget to talk to God

When everything is going our own way;

But that’s the time we really need Him most,

Lest we depart from Him and go astray. – Hess

There is never a day when you don’t need to pray.