It wafts from the breath of every person on the planet . . .
Mist rises from golf courses and wetlands ... Steam soars from industry stacks and tree-tops ...
Water evaporates from the Bay of Bengal and transpires from plants.
Evapo-transpiration feeds the hydrologic cycle – that process that circulates water, purges the air and nourishes life on earth.
As oceans and land absorb energy from the sun, water transforms into gas and evaporates into the air. Warm air rises . . . and expands. Expansion causes it to cool and eventually clouds form and water the earth. The engineering design is brilliant and self-sustaining. And the scope of the operation boggles the mind.
Evapo-transpiration feeds the hydrologic cycle – that process that circulates water, purges the air and nourishes life on earth.
As oceans and land absorb energy from the sun, water transforms into gas and evaporates into the air. Warm air rises . . . and expands. Expansion causes it to cool and eventually clouds form and water the earth. The engineering design is brilliant and self-sustaining. And the scope of the operation boggles the mind.
Daily global evaporation averages 1,580 cubic kilometers of water. That’s 96% of the entire volume of Lake Ontario – every day. The enormous energy of the sun heats this vast volume of water, turns it into vapor and lifts it into the skies – a billion tons of water every minute, day and night!
Job 36:27 MSG.
Job shakes his head at this wonder of water:
God wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
Job 26:8 NIV
In most religious traditions, smoke is used as an expression of devotion or prayer. (Perhaps steaming coffee is our culture’s substitute.) But consider this analogy:
Imagine this global action of evaporation being a gigantic expression of prayer.
Just as nature lifts vast volumes of water into the skies every minute of the day, imagine the pouring out of thanks and praise to the Creator from millions of worshippers in gratitude for the good gifts of life.
Just as nature lifts vast volumes of water into the skies every minute of the day, imagine the pouring out of thanks and praise to the Creator from millions of worshippers in gratitude for the good gifts of life.
Imagine the cumulative prayers of the poor crying out for justice and mercy, the collective yearnings of humble and faithful souls rising like mist from the earth, forming clouds of petition before God.
I wonder if this feature of the natural world might not have something to tell us.
Any thoughts? Add your comments below.
I really love the concept today's post presents. We are told to pray without ceasing, and like evapotranspiration the process should be continual in order to avoid significant environmental consequences in various geographic locations around the world. We are encouraged to pray for places beyond our own sphere of influence and experience.
ReplyDeleteThe blog also makes me realize that just like evapotranspiration, variables such as temperature, pressure and loaction affects evapotranspiration rates and I believe this is also true for our prayers in that they are affected by our circumstances and present conditions. For sure it's a very DYNAMIC system to understand and contemplate.
Thanks for prompting us to think about this.
What a thought-provoking and moving analogy! Must chew on it for a while.
ReplyDelete