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God and the bounty of the Harvest

Psalm 65:9-13
9  You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
10  You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11  You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12  The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Living in south central Wisconsin in October is awe-inspiring with colors in nature, sunrises and sunsets over steel looking lakes, geese flying to fields and lakes, and crops of soybeans and corn being lifted from the earth by massive farm machinery.  

I am amazed every year and I cannot help but feel joy, gratitude, and praise to God for the beauty and the bounty.  The Psalmist captured the essence of it all and vs 11 makes my imagination and prayer of thanksgiving possible.  God indeed "crowns the year with bounty, wagon tracks overflow with abundance".  
Drive down the road in the country...the fields are ripe for harvest.  Road side stands bring garden bounty to sell:  pumpkins, squashes of seeming endless variety, gourds, potatoes...it's Fall and God has done it again!

I know that many will sum it all up as "mother nature"...the science of growing crops, etc... but I agree with the Psalmist...all of life is God at work in all of his creation.  We need to remind ourselves that our lives are seen by our God...our moments of pleasure as well as pain measured for the right amount of what we need at all times by our loving and sovereign Savior and God.

The author of the 19th century Hymn For the Beauty of the Earth said it so well:

1 For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies. 
Refrain:
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise. 

2 For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light,
Refrain:
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise. 

3 For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild,
Refrain:
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise. 

4 For yourself, best gift divine,
to the world so freely given,
agent of God's grand design:
peace on earth and joy in heaven.
Refrain:
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise. 

May you find yourself lost in the awe of the year's bounty and find yourself lost in the glory of God.
Peace

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