The maple leaf - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. … Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: They neither toil nor spin.
Matthew 6:26–28

The maple leaf
On a dreary, rainy November morning, my wife accompanied me from the parking lot to the doctor’s office. My back was in terrible pain and I could hardly walk. Suddenly, my gaze fell on a very large maple leaf on the road in front of me. Autumn had caused its jagged edges to be stained bright red – as if someone had lovingly coloured it by hand. Admiringly, I said to my wife, “Look, what a beautiful leaf!”

When Jesus Christ lived on earth, He drew His disciples’ attention to certain animals and plants: the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. What instruction did He attach to them? He said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (v. 31–32).

How often are we preoccupied with food and clothing, which God, in His care and love, provides for us every day? And how easily we become discouraged or depressed when we lose sight of God.

For me, it was the single leaf of a maple tree that made me think of God and gave me courage. With you, God can use something else to help you remember that He is there for you. He, the Creator and Sustainer of the earth, provides for the birds and causes the lilies of the field to grow. And He wants to provide even more for you today.

Today’s reading: Isaiah 38:17-39:8 · Hebrews 5:1-10