Worms

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 

Psalms 8:4

Have you ever rejoiced in seeing an earthworm? I've been mounding up my garden beds and noticing how many earthworms are in my soil this year. I'm thanking the Lord for every one of them. Why? They are so important to a good garden! Earthworms aerate the soil so the rain can trickle down to the roots of the plants. They decompose the matter and create compost that feeds the plants. Just one of them can create more earthworms. Even if you chop one in two it will restore itself into two more.

Have you ever sung this hymn by Isaac Watts published in 1707?

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Watts called us worms. He meant it as a derogatory term. He meant we were lowly destructive worms like cankerworms and palmerworms described in the book of Joel 2:25. However, if we look at the work of earthworms maybe we could learn a lesson in soul winning. 

The way we approach people, worm our way in if you will, by showing love to others and living our daily lives softens and opens the hearts of the world for the Water of Life to trickle in and begin His work of salvation. The Word of Life that we share in the same way feeds the world with the Bread of Life. Satan cannot stop the gospel from going out. It is seen throughout history the more the church is persecuted the stronger it becomes and the more it multiplies. 

The Water and the Bread are not just for the lost but also for those of us who know the Lord. Worms have to be fed. They need water. So we also need the Holy Spirit and God's Word in our lives that we might continue to grow and give life to those around us. 

So I'm thanking the Lord for every little worm I see in my garden and remember that I too need to be a worm.

Blessings,

Gail