North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Song of Solomon 6:11

King James Version

¹¹ I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded.

We were invited to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon with a group of junior high students from a Christian school. As you can well imagine, all was noise and bustle. Everyone dashed around setting up tents, spreading out sleeping bags, making supper. The camp was nestled under a great canopy of ponderosa pine which gave the whole camp that fresh clean piney smell.

Now it was time to see the Grand Canyon. We walked along a trail bordering the mighty cliffs on the edge of the canyon. Squirrels whistled our approach to a wary world. Shade from the tall trees made the air cool and caressing and pleasantly scented. Lizards hung on spots on the rocks in the late red and warm sunshine.

Here and there along the trail bright bursts of color told us spring was here to stay. White cliff rose blossoms looked pink in the evening sunshine. Multitudes of showy yellow flowers greeted us at every turn mingled with a scattering of red and blue ones to add variety.

At close to 9000 feet (2700 meters) this region is often still under snow at this time in spring. But the winter was dry with a warm, early spring sun that had brought out the blossoms like the lovers discovered in Solomon’s nut gardens.

Then to seal all this, as the sun set silently and gently beyond the western cliffs, the facing cliffs turned to rose. I walked back to the parking lot in awe of God’s magnificent artistry.

Thank You Lord for the resurgence of life every spring, and how this lifts our spirits from dull winter drudgery and renews our faith in Your promises.