Geoffrey Chaucer’s works from the fourteenth Century give us the origin of the phrase, ‘mighty oaks from little acorns grow.’ We usually take that as an encouragement to have high expectations even of things that have humble beginnings.
A recent expedition to the park at Helmingham when the gardens were closed because of adverse weather saw us walking among the mighty oaks and bewildered by the profusion of acorn production. If you notice such things, you may well have spotted the sheer abundance of haws and hips, damsons and sloes. Blackberries seem endless in the hedgerows.
I remember the country people I knew in my childhood saying that an abundance of berries meant a hard winter ahead, so if they are right, look out. But what about all the acorns? I turned to the internet and found a short answer on the website of Brooklyn Botanical Garden where I discovered the following: ‘every few years, as if on cue, certain populations of trees drop unusually large quantities of acorns, walnuts, or other fruits, nuts, and seeds to the ground. This phenomenon is known as “masting,” or “mast seeding.” And scientists don’t know exactly why or how they do it.’
There are many phenomena of nature that we partly understand but cannot fully explain. Equally inexplicable is the way that people respond to God. Historically, revivals come in waves. There are signs of the start of such a wave now, and while so far it could be mistaken for a ripple, past knowledge suggests it may become a tsunami as people hear and respond to the call of God to turn to him. Statistics are capable of misleading us but faith says that trends beginning to emerge are more than an irrelevant blip.
A Prayer
Lord, mighty oaks from little acorns grow. We pray that the signs of growing interest in faith, especially among younger people will develop from a ripple to a wave that brings glory to your name, for Jesus Christ’s sake, Amen.