(August 17, 2020)

“…all the green grass was burned up.”
–Revelation 8:7

“They were told not to harm the grass…”
–Revelation 9:4

Did the above verses catch your attention? “All the green grass was burned up” and yet – ten short verses later it says “not to harm the grass?” How can you not harm what is already dead? It is yet another reminder that Revelation is not chronological – but it is an attention-getter! Whatever God says or does matters. The question raised here is not one of biology; so what is it pointing us to?

Similarly, the “green grass” burning up reminds me of when Jesus told the crowds to sit down on the “green grass” (Mark 6:39). The “green” grass? Does that jump out to you? The green grass as opposed to… What?? …the red grass or the purple grass? Why do you think it says, “green?” What other kind is there? Why did the author think it necessary to include that word? It has my attention. It makes me wonder.
* * *
I love the details in the scripture. They hold so much. If you pay attention to them and ask the Lord about them, they reveal the most amazing things. I like them because people sometimes want to make God’s Word small – and yet even a single word can help you see something big.
Sometimes the small clues hold the biggest meaning. Consider, for example, the extended family gathering around the holiday dinner table. Even the smallest of comments can reveal the most complex family relational dynamics. Or, the smallest of whispers from the Lord in our devotional times may point to the biggest questions and themes of our lives.
If you are wondering what the Lord is doing in your life, the nudges are there. We may need to once again slow down so that we perceive them—but they are there. It is not a trick or a game; God speaks to us in ways that we can grasp. He gives us just what we need in just the right way.

It may be something as small and common and as prevalent as the green grass all around you.

…So what is the Lord showing you today in the small things? Are they not pointing to something big?
* * *
Father, helps us be attuned to Your voice. Help us to listen.
For You are at work, and You are the God who Speaks. Amen.