Here we see common ragwort, or golden ragwort, or another name is St. James wort. It seems to be very common in our garden and is common in fields and other areas. But the wondrous thing about this seemingly common plant is that it has uses as a herb. Nature has many many plants that we can use to help us recover from illnesses or recover from many things in life. They have been designed by God for us to use.
If mis-used or over used each herb will have side effects and we must always consult a doctor before we try anything, but I believe we should always pray to God about our ailments as well.
My father suffered with MS as I was growing up and during his later part of his life he deteriorated quite badly with many other complications. I know he was offered cannabis as a pain relief but I don’t really know if he took it. Many other people do take this as a pain relief, and other people just use cannabis as a recreational drug – if there can ever be such a thing. I know there is a huge controversy over drugs used to help pain, especially cannabis because of the side effects. But there are many safe herbs.
St. James wort is used as a herb to help depression. I’m not sure how it is used, or of what part of the plant. There have been moments in my life were I have felt depressed. I’m not sure I was ever depressed in a clinical sense, but sometimes in my early life I was feeling pretty desperate at times. It seemed to be that I would not escape my feelings through the use of drink, indeed drink only heightens your mood. Initially before I found God, or he found me, I found release in walking in the country, or challenging my body against a stupid challenge; things like a 24 hour potholing challenge, walking the pennine way in an incredibly short time, and many other mad days out. The seemingly survival from these mad stunts as I can only describe them was put down at the time to luck. After I survived what seemed like too many of these stunts I started to wonder seriously was there someone watching over me, and for what reason.
When God found me I found that these escapes helped, but a greater release of stress or tension was found in prayer. It was also a lot safer – No need to abseil down the highest waterfall in Wales in pitch black to get rid of built up stress, but just simply retreat in prayer and ask for forgiveness. It is in these moments when I really seemed to connect with God that my whole heart opened and let out its cry of anguish.
How wondrous a God that he provided a world with healing plants and too many that we are still discovering their uses. There are plants that were used many years ago to heal or to help with pain, and others that are still being discovered. Figs seemed to be mentioned quite a lot in the bible and they certainly seem like a health food today.
But still we yearn for healing. Is the fact that the human body can heal from many things a wondrous thing? Is the healing itself not a miracle implanted by God? The garden seems to miraculously heal from my many attempts to cut it back.
I can remember riding my mountain bike off a drop and landing on my head and being knocked out. I came too and found shooting pains up and down my arms and back. I found it extremely difficult to move, but as I was in the army at the time I had instructions to see the army doctor. So I drove under orders up the motorway on my own, in this state. What they, or I was thinking I don’t know, because I couldn’t really drive, and I travelled at 40 miles an hour and took turning the car very slowly. Yes this was a stupid thing to do, perhaps I was in shock and I should have just rang for an ambulance. But I was also young and full of myself. I should have broken my back but I recovered over time.
I was reminded this week of this injury when I fell off a ladder cutting the hedge and I landed on my back again. Luckily I had broken my fall with my arm, one hand holding the hedge trimmer and the other stopping my body hit the floor – something I had learned when training to do Ju-Jitsu, but it still took time to heal.
I look forward to the prophecy that we will be able to take a fruit and be healed or live forever with our Lord and saviour.
12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Clearly this planet is designed with such detail and an eye for complexity and simpleness, that we can thank God for his wondrous creation and not just thank the creation itself as some people believe in a “mother nature” or a living creation and not a father creator.
Herbs heal, time heals, and God heals with his awesome power of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, we just have to open our eyes to see this.
Dear Lord, let us all open our eyes and see your glorious creation and thank you for it. Let us thank you for your Spirit’s work on this earth through many peoples lives. Dear Lord bring your inspiration and healing to many people on this earth who are filled with so much hate – help us to bring the healing remedy – love.
Amen
365 Exhortations 