Tag Archives: harvest

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

10 Monday Oct 2016

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Reading:                                        Psalm 100                                                                

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

  Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations (NIV).

Reflection

When you grow up on a prairie farm, as I did, you appreciate the traditional aspects of Thanksgiving all the more. You are reminded each day that the food on your table does not simply come from a store. You are actively engaged in producing the nourishment that sustains your own life.

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A field of harvest ready oats near MacNutt, SK — photo by David Kitz

As a youngster I sat down to many a Thanksgiving feast, and almost all the food found on that groaning table was home-grown. I watched those vegetables growing in our garden in the hot summer sun. I even pulled the weeds from around those peas. And those mashed potatoes, I helped my mother hill those tubers in the spring and then dug them up after the frost hit in the fall.

My brother loved growing pumpkins, and mom would turn his favorite into the best pumpkin pie east of the Rockies. And how can you eat pumpkin pie without a mound of whipped cream on top? Well let me tell you, it tastes even better, when just that morning you milked the cows that produced that sweet rich cream. Oh, and that huge turkey—we’ll miss that pompous strutting gobbler out by the henhouse. But I’m sure we’ll get over it, somehow. For now, let’s just dig in.

Let’s all dig in, and give thanks to the God, who made all this possible. This sumptuous feast has been brought to you by Him. Now that’s Thanksgiving!

The great God in heaven has been kind to us. He has answered our prayers. He brought the warmth of spring and the rain of heaven. He caused his face to shine upon us. The rich earth responded to his touch. It brought forth its bounty, and now around this table we have gathered together as a family to celebrate God’s great goodness to us.

As the psalmist declares, “It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” So today with joy-filled hearts we enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. We give thanks to him and praise his name.

Response: Heavenly Father, thank you for all your kindness. You have been so good to us! Help us to maintain an attitude of gratitude all year long and not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day. Amen.

Your Turn: What blessings from God’s hand are you most grateful for?

Note for my American readers: It’s Thanksgiving Day in Canada.

From Tears to Celebration

21 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in Psalms, Thursday's Thought

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We cried on the way to plant our seeds,
    but we will celebrate and shout
    as we bring in the crops (Psalm 126:6, CEV).

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Newly planted rice stalks, Nagoya, Japan — photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is celebration.

All those who like tears and suffering, please raise your hand. Did your hand shoot up in response to that request? No, you say. Well, if it’s any consolation, I didn’t raise my hand. Tears, pain and suffering are things I avoid at all cost. But strange as it may seem some of the greatest human triumphs come directly from experiencing suffering or loss.

On October 9, 2012, Malala Yousafzai was taken off a school bus and shot in the head by the Taliban for the ‘sin’ of seeking an education. But miraculously she survived. Despite tears and pain she has gone on to promote education for girls and win the Nobel Prize.

Today’s verse from the Psalms reminds us that cries of anguish often precede shouts of celebration.

We cried on the way to plant our seeds, but we will celebrate and shout as we bring in the crops (Psalm 126:6, CEV).

If you are suffering now, take heart. God is well able to turn your sorrow into joy. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy (Psalm 126:5, NIV).

Response: LORD God, I know my tears are not wasted. You value even my suffering. Work good out of those things that bring me pain. I will celebrate the victories you bring. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you suffering at the present time? Do you believe God hears your cries?

A Harvest Psalm

27 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalms

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Reading:                                           Psalm 65

(Verses 9-13)

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,
for so you have ordained it.
You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing (NIV).

Reflection

I can’t read this psalm without picturing an overflowing cornucopia. This is the psalmist’s horn of plenty. Speaking of the LORD, David declares, “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”

Photo by Wonderopolis.org

Photo by Wonderopolis.org

My farm boy’s heart delights in this psalm. I delight in the land and the soil. Being on the land and cultivating the rich earth nurtures my soul. I am invigorated by it. The soil where I grew up in Saskatchewan was black and fertile. It’s the best kind of soil for crops. In the summer the fields were mantled with grain—a vast sea of wheat billowing in the breeze.

But I’m not alone in my love for the earth. David assures us that God has that same affection for the soil. You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.

Now in practical terms my love for the soil is confined to a small backyard suburban garden. I tend my vegetable garden with care and God above does His part. He softens the earth with showers and blesses its crops. This morning, my wife and I rooted out a grape vine in preparation for next year’s planting. It was a pleasure to work with her and my heavenly partner, the LORD God Almighty.

In a few weeks we will pull out the last of the carrots and parsnips before the snow flies. To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV).

To everything there is a season.

To everything there is a season.

In our toil we are not alone. Whether we are rooting out weeds, extracting teeth or rooting out unproductive habits, God is present in our work. Welcome Him as your partner.

Response: LORD God, I am thankful for my calling and the work you have set before me. You are my partner in it and my provider. I give myself to you to your service today. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you see yourself as God’s partner in your vocation?