The Growing SeasonSample

Most of the churches in our two-red-light town host an event each Sunday morning called a worship service, referred to as “big church.” At our Baptist church we listen to the choir, sing hymns, greet one another, take an offering, study the Bible through a message shared by our preacher, and pray. It’s a holy time where we commune with one another and our Lord. Truly, worship is an outward expression of the internal joy we feel toward the Lord. Worship can take place in the communal setting of a church service—but it can also come at any time throughout the day and take many different forms. In fact, because of the social distancing that began in 2020, our church is currently having services via online streaming. We are on the couch, not in the pew. And God can be with us in either place. We can also raise a hallelujah in the car or while washing dishes. Worship happens when we sing to God, talk to Him, read and memorize His Word, and show His love to His people. It can happen in a lot of other ways too. Worship is very personal, a matter of the heart. In a way, worship means bursting forth with joy because of our appreciation of Him. I can sit on the front porch of my farmhouse and see all kinds of worshipers praising the Lord. The wildflowers are bursting forth with pinks, purples, and yellows. My roses are all shades of pink. The blackberry vines are a verdant green. The irises my father-in-law planted at the north end of my house are gifting us a rainbow to the eyes. I can smell the honeysuckle, view the maple tree full of life, and even spy a few dots of red strawberries coming up from the little patch nearby. Think I’m crazy calling all these plants worshipers? Well, Psalm 96:12 (NLT) says, “Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy.” King David was describing the bursting beauty of the crops, fields, and plants as an act of worship at the coming of the Lord’s kingdom. Here is the verse in context: Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth (verses 11-13 NLT). Those roses and strawberries I see are certainly showing God worship with such vibrancy. And there truly is joy at the coming harvest for those of us who have Jesus in our hearts. Some of us a get a bit fearful at the thought of the coming of the Lord. Opening the book of Revelation can cause our hands to shake. But in this passage from Psalm 96, David overwhelmingly reminds us that we should feel joy at the coming of the King and showcase this joy to Him. As Christians we aren’t going to spontaneously burst forth with edible fruit or vibrant colors—however, David tells us we can “sing to the LORD, bless his name”; we can “tell of his salvation” (Psalm 96:2); and we can “come into his courts” (verse 8) to “worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness” (verse 9). Farm gal, the crops and trees have Sunday service right where they are when they are in season. When life is within them, they are found worshiping our Creator. We should do the same—inside and outside the church building. \- We hope you enjoyed this five-day plan! You can connect with farm gal Sarah Philpott on her [ website ](http://allamericanmom.net/) , and read more from her in her new book, The Growing Season, available [ here ](https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/growing-season-9780736982788) .