Harvest Providence

This week-end is Canadian Thanksgiving. . .

And this word from Psalm 65 seems like the perfect 'water' text for the occasion

You care for the land

and water it;

you enrich it abundantly.

The streams of God

are filled with water to

provide the people with grain,

You drench its furrows

and level its ridges;

you soften it with showers

and bless its crops.

Psalm 65:9-10

Without the rain there wouldn't be much of a harvest. This song praises God as the provider of water and the abundance of the fields.


Wheat Field - Somerset, Prince Edward Island

In the spring, farmers work hard preparing their fields and sowing their crops; irrigating and tending them is the work of the summer, and then the intensive work of harvest. All this labor is an investment in hope with no quarantees; there is always risk. Drought, flood, insects, disease and storm are ever-present threats. Weather is a fickle partner; yet farmers the world over invest in the land year after year. And when all goes well, they reap a return on their investment, and we all enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Thanksgiving is a ancient tradition of people who know that food is a gift of the land. It is our annual reminder to pause and express gratitude for the bountiful supply of food we enjoy.

Psalm 65 finishes with an exuberant portrait of harvest :

wagons overflowing … hills clothed with gladness…

meadows covered with flocks … valleys mantled with grain …

singing and shouting for joy. (v.11-13)

Behind all that abundance and prosperity, the fruitfulness of the earth and the joyful delight of the community, this song recognizes the mercy and faithfulness of God and the gifts of an extravagant generous Provider.

Truly God “crowns the year with his bounty!” And for that, I am really thankful.!

Photo Sources:
Turkey - Cool Springs
Wheat Field - Phil Knight