By: Deborah Schroeder
August 26, 2025
Have you ever pondered over how God orchestrates events in and around our everyday lives? Have you ever witnessed God’s architecture through a series of events for the purpose of spreading His Word to others? On a beautiful August evening this year, a group witnessed God at work, bringing His Word to an unsuspecting group gathered for a concert in a community park.
Approximately 30 women from our church get together for an annual summer picnic. This year we gathered under the pavilion at Pomona Park in Fruitport, Michigan. This waterfront community park covers approximately 8.5 acres of land on Michigan’s west coast. People come to enjoy such amenities as boating, fishing, picnicking, and kayaking. A band shell facing a grassy slope provides a great opportunity for outdoor concerts, and a playground is available to entertain young children. Our group reserved the park pavilion to gather for a potluck picnic, social interaction, a fun craft project, and a devotional message. I was asked to share a message from preselected verses in Isaiah. Before you read my message, it’s important to know what the Lord had planned for that evening at Pomona Park.
Ordinarily, our group gathered on the third Monday of August. But this year, the date was moved to the third Tuesday. That evening, John, a beloved member of our church family was performing with a group of local musicians at the park. The women coordinating our picnic thought it would be nice to schedule our event to precede this outdoor concert. That way, members of our group could have the option to remain for the concert. Pomona Park offers many such opportunities to enjoy outdoor concerts during the summer. The weather on this particular evening was ideal. The weather that day included temperatures in the low 70s, bright, warm sunshine, a slight breeze and low humidity. As the sun began to set, it was lightweight jacket weather. Beautiful!
Around 5:00pm women began arriving for our picnic. Vendors were already on the grounds setting up their food stands in preparation for the 7:00pm concert. One group of about 10 women took their places at a couple picnic tables situated just outside our pavilion. A few “early birds” for the concert positioned their lawn chairs in their favorite spots on the grassy hill in front of the band shell. They chose to arrive ahead of the crowd that was to come.
Our ladies brought a wonderful variety of appetizers, salads, meat, and desserts to share. No one was going away hungry that night! As we settled into the blue aluminum picnic tables, we noticed a steady stream of people coming into the park for the concert. Because the breeze was gentle, our voices could carry a bit. While we were aware of this, it did not yet occur to any of us that God was going to use our voices to bring His Word to this unsuspecting group of music lovers.
After we finished our meal, a couple ladies led us in the song titled Rejoice in the Lord Always. It’s a joyful tune that can be sung in a round. Hand-clapping and arm raising are included in portions of the song. We went through that song in a round several times. We were barely aware the crowd was growing larger all around us. Looking back on that evening, I realized God used that song to get the attention of those gathered nearby. Shortly after the song, I stood up to present a devotion from a requested portion of Scripture. Little did I know the Lord planned for many more to hear His Word that evening than I had anticipated. By this time, a large crowd of people were seated all around us in preparation for the concert. But I noticed most were relaxing and waiting, not engaged in a lot of talking.
I explained to the group that I was asked to share a message on Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 6-8, which says this:
A VOICE was saying, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like a wildflower in the countryside.
GRASS withers, flowers fade when the breath of the LORD blows on them
Yes, the people are grass.
Grass withers, flowers fade, but the WORD of the LORD endures forever.
Below is my message:
It is always helpful to put verses in context for better understanding. Therefore, I would like to begin with a little background on the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah was appointed by God to be an Old Testament prophet. God gave prophets messages that they, in turn, passed on to God’s people. There was no Amazon.com to pull up on the Internet and order your favorite translation of the Bible, which would be shipped to your home by 5:00pm the following day. No publishing houses existed to mass produce the written Word of God. People received God’s Word vocally through these prophets. And God gave Isaiah much to say, because he filled 66 chapters in the book with his name.
The first 39 chapters (the same number as the total books comprising the Old Testament) depict judgment and condemnation on an immoral and idolatrous people. The last 27 chapters (the same number as the total books comprising the New Testament) declare a message of comfort and hope, for the Messiah is coming as King and Savior. Isaiah wrote during the stormy period marking the expansion of the Assyrian empire and the decline of Israel. Isaiah warned Judah that her sin would bring captivity at the hands of Babylon. Isaiah foresees the demise of Judah and proceeds to predict the restoration of the people from captivity. God would redeem His people from Babylon just as He rescued His people from Egypt.
The Jews would return home in 538, a deliverance that prefigured the greater salvation from sin through Christ. Isaiah is a book that reveals the full dimensions of God’s judgement and salvation. God is just and must punish sin; but He is also merciful, and chose to punish Christ on our behalf!
These verses from chapter 40 fall in the early second half of Isaiah as he focuses on the deliverance of Israel.1
There are 3 key points to glean from these verses. And the first point comes through A VOICE.
What exactly is this voice? An ancient Christian commentary on Isaiah 40-66 noted this voice was not audible (like Bill Cosby used to do in his skit about Noah building the Ark). This voice came through the heart. Such a voice appeared in the Prophets.2 The reminder here is that God comes to us. We don’t tell God when we are ready to become His child unless God’s Holy Spirit has already occupied our hearts. God chooses us. The Scripture says, No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:3).
Several examples of God coming to people include:
- The Woman at the Well in Samaria (John 4). Did you know Jews (who hated Samaritans) would walk an extra 17 miles around Samaria when traveling rather than go through that region? Jesus broke through those cultural barriers and purposely walked through Samaria. He had a mission. He was intent upon meeting a socially outcast woman. He knew she came to draw water at a community well during midday when no one was around. Jesus shared the Gospel with her, and her life was forever changed! She enthusiastically shared that Good News with members of her community—an indication of the pardon from sin and the gift of salvation that came to her. Many people also came to know Christ through her testimony. Jesus came to her.
A second example is:
- The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8). The Lord told Philip to take a deserted road (nothing very promising in that direction) that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. Without much more of an explanation than that, Philip obeyed and went. To Lord connected him with an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He was on his way home, sitting in his chariot, reading the scroll authored by the prophet Isaiah. When Philip approached him, this court official admitted he did not understand what he was reading. Philip explained the meaning, which included the Good News about Jesus, the Messiah to come. That day, the Lord came to the Ethiopian court official, who then went on is way in joy. Philip never saw this man again. Today, millions of people in the country of Ethiopia are believers in Christ. I believe that all may have started with this court official!
The third example of God coming to us:
- Saul-who-became-Paul (Acts 9). At a time when he was breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, God came to Saul (later named Paul). Somehow, God knocked him off his horse on his journey to Damascus. He cut right to the chase and asked, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? And that marked the beginning of Saul’s conversion. He was baptized and underwent spiritual development from Godly mentors over a period of years. All of this prepared him to become a missionary for Christ and the author of 11 books in the New Testament. God first came to Saul.
Like me, many of you don’t remember the moment God came to you because it took place when you were an infant; God came to you in the waters of Baptism, which is a means of Grace. Some of you came to know Christ later in life. Either way, God came to you!
The Second Point Comes through GRASS.
God reminds us of our human condition by providing this word picture.
Grass and flowers provide beauty…in season. But when October rolls around in our area, grass dries up, and flowers dry out and die. These words represent a human who bears the image of the earthly—the body-lover who lives according to the flesh. One commentator said,
Like grass and flowers which rise up and bloom for a short time, but soon wither through their unstable nature, the human nature, with its short span of life and the briefly enduring pleasure of human happiness are a most apt comparison. When you gaze upon plants and flowers, you receive a clear reminder of your creation. Today, a person is vigorous in body, flower-like complexion, in the prime of life, fresh and eager. Tomorrow the same one is piteous or wasted with age or weakened by disease. 3
Why would it be important for God to remind us that, like grass, we are going to die?
We cannot embrace the Good News of the Gospel until we first recognize our sinful condition. Consider this familiar parable contrasting the proud and the penitent from Luke 18:9-14
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Sin came into the world, and with sin came death. Death is actually a good thing. Otherwise, we would live forever in a sinful state. This life is temporary. Our life on this earth is for a season. Our true home is in Heaven with Jesus. Grass and flowers serve as a reminder of our fallen state and our mortality. As we age, our bodies will go through a general wearing out process—a reminder that this life is temporal. It’s at that point that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is very sweet to the soul.
The Final and most important point is THE WORD.
God still comes to His people through His Word. Today, that Word comes in written form through the pages of Scripture. Take care that you fix your roots in the Word of God, which abides forever.4 If you are not already involved in a Community Group at our church, I encourage you to consider joining one of the new groups starting up this fall. A community group is like a mini-church. It is a small gathering of Christians who meet together a couple times per month. The Word of God is the centerpiece of the gathering. But it is also a time for relationship building, encouragement, prayer and service.
As you are rooted in God’s Word, you begin to look at life through the lens of God’s perspective. The Word equips you for today and prepares you for eternity. While our bodies are aging and we are physically changing, our spirit is alive and well! And ahead of us is eternal life!
Reflections
On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the Word of the Lord came to a group of unexpecting people who were drawn to Pomona Park to enjoy an outdoor concert. But the Lord had more to give them that night. The message God provided began with the wonderful truth that God comes to US. As those words were spoken, the Lord provided a visual by causing people in the park to hear His Word that evening! I pray that Word settled and will take root in the hearts of the women gathered at picnic tables just outside the pavilion. I pray for the man selling Carmel Corn in a nearby tent. I pray for anyone seated on lawn chairs in Pomona Park whom God intended to hear His Word that evening. God is at work! He comes to us! Thanks be to God!
Footnotes
1 – Introduction to Isaiah, pp. 1016-1019, Concordia Self-Study Bible, New International Version, 1984.
2 – Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament XI, Isaiah 40-66, pp. 7-9, edited by Mark W. Elliott.
3 – IBID, p.8.
4 – IBID, p. 9
