00:00:02 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 00:00:13 Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to your daily prayer, where we help you find the words you need to connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening in your life today, you can trust that God wants to hear from you. Right after this short word from our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer. 00:00:29 Speaker 1: To notice Hidden Wonders. 00:00:49 Speaker 2: A Prayer to Notice Hidden Wonders written by Sophia Bricker, read by Leah Gerrard. And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow? They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith? Matthew six twenty eight through thirty. In Robert Frost's poem entitled The Tuft of Flowers, he paints a rural scene of a man setting out to complete farm duties. Another man, a co laborer, had mowed the grass earlier in the day. But when the speaker in the poem surveys the work, he sees a butterfly drifting nearby and wonders why it's looking for flowers among freshly cut grass. That's when he notices it tufts of flowers that were left untouched by the scythe In the selected poems of Robert Frost by Fall River Press, we read that Frost wrote, I left my place to know them by their name, finding them butterflyweed. When I came the mower in the dew had loved them thus by leaving them to flourish, not for us, nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him, but from sheer mourning gladness. 00:02:32 Speaker 1: At the brim. 00:02:34 Speaker 2: In this patch is an unexpected beauty milkweed plants that made the other man pause in his mourning duties to admire their glory, and which remind the speaker he is not alone in his work. Other kindred spirits are working alongside him, even if not at the same time. Many of Frost's poems capture this sense of hidden beauty among the wild growth of nature. Wildflowers grow unnoticed until seen by a surprised onlooker. In another Frost poem, rose pegonias workers are halted in their mowing when they happen upon orchids growing in a meadow. Both poems capture the sense of wonder that comes from observing the fruits of nature, even when they grow wildly out of sight. Jesus is parable, and Matthew six likewise draws upon the beauty of wildflowers. He turns the audience's attention to the lilies of the field and how they grow without any additional striving. God, in his kindness and wisdom, has adorned to the grasses of the field in this way, providing lovely clothing to nature. His words echo what he said earlier in Matthew six six through twenty seven about the birds of the air, who do not store up food for the future, yet are still fed. Our Lord used these examples to remind us of practical spiritual truths. God clothes the fields and feeds the birds, So why do we worry incessantly about these parts of life? Our anxiety could be eased if we paused to notice the wonders all around us, especially those hidden beauties of daily life that teach us valuable lessons about the Lord's caring provision. The apostle Paul even included the examples of normal events like rain, showers or harvests when mentioning the Creator's care in Acts fourteen seventeen. Around us is a world of reminders of God's love, yet too often we turn a blind eye to their testimony. What might happen if we started to pause and consider the hidden wonders around us? Perhaps we will heed Jesus's advice and stop worrying about everyday necessities. Then we could walk more steadily by setting the Kingdom of God as the first priority in our lives, all because of the testimony of a growing flower, a chirping bird. 00:05:21 Speaker 1: Or a rainy day. 00:05:23 Speaker 2: Let's pray, Lord of the flowers and birds, help me to obey your words and learn from the lessons of nature, so that I may be a better citizen of your kingdom. You've placed so many reminders of your love and care into the world, reminding us not to worry but to trust in your provision. Far too often, though, I fail to heed these examples, and I often overlook the presence of the hidden wonders around me that point to You. Grant me eyes that see and take notice, and ears that listen to the songs and sounds of create around me. May I listen to the sermons of their beautiful presence in my daily life, so that I am awakened again by the wonder of knowing You, the Creator and Savior of all. In your name, Jesus, I pray Amen. Your daily prayer is a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, be sure to follow our sister show your nightly prayer. You can find your nightly prayer at lifeaudio dot com or in your favorite podcast app. By following your daily prayer and your nightly prayer, you can be sure that your day begins and ends centered on the Word of God and prayer.