Tag Archives: spring

You Care for the Land

29 Monday Apr 2019

Posted by in Psalm 65, 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).

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Prairie roadside scene — photo by David Kitz

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.”

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 spring planting. It was a pleasure to work with her and my heavenly partner, the LORD God Almighty.

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

In our toil we are not alone. There is something sacred about work. God ordained it. He planted a Garden for Adam and Eve to tend. 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?

The Seasons Change

20 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 104, Psalms

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Reading:                                    Psalm 104                                                                  

(Verses 19-26)
He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
Then people go out to their work,
to their labor until evening.
How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there (NIV).

Reflection
There is something to be said for routine and regularity. By that I mean the whole vast rhythm of life. Today’s reading from Psalm 104 eloquently reflects the rhythm of life from sunrise to sunset and the return to sunrise once again.

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The earth is full of your creatures — photo credit Warwick Burgess

This past weekend, though the calendar said mid April, we were hit hard by freezing rain, and arctic winds. Everyone is anxious for spring like weather to finally make an appearance. Enough of this snow and cold already! The seasons are changing. They always have. In this part of the world, all we can do is prepare for the transition; we can’t  speed its coming or prevent it from happening.

In reality, transitions are about rest and renewal. The setting sun lets us know that it’s time to stop our labor and get the rest that is essential for our well-being. In the same way as winter approaches trees and vegetation go dormant, but after a season of rest the great spring renewal will surely come. It always has, and so it will continue until the end of time.

In the same way there is a renewal promised to us at the end this life. Resurrection happens every spring and it will happen to this old clod of earth as well. That’s the great hope we have because of Christ. The word of God has been planted in our hearts and it will bear fruit now and in eternity, which has been promised to those who believe. Do you believe? Do you have faith in the changing seasons? Do you have faith in the One who created the seasons? 

Response: Father God, thank you for designing the days, months and seasons. I want to draw near to you in every season of life. How many are your works, LORD! You are worthy of all praise. Renew and refresh me in the seasons of my life.  Amen.

Your Turn: What is your favorite season? Why?

Sons and Daughters; Plants and Pillars

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Psalm 144, Psalms

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Reading:                                         Psalm 144

(Verses 10-15)
From the deadly sword deliver me;
rescue me from the hands of foreigners
whose mouths are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.
Then our sons in their youth
will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace.
Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields;
our oxen will draw heavy loads.
There will be no breaching of walls,
no going into captivity,
no cry of distress in our streets.
Blessed is the people of whom this is true;
blessed is the people whose God is the LORD (NIV)

Reflection

Yesterday, my afternoon work routine was interrupted by visitors. First my oldest son dropped in. My wife and I worked to quickly put together a delicious lunch. After the meal we talked business for about an hour. Tim wanted some help and advice with his market gardening enterprise. It’s challenging work and the busy spring season will soon be here.

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The planting of the Lord — photo by David Kitz

Not long after, my youngest son and his wife dropped over for a visit. Their spring and summer schedule includes working tours to locations in the Yukon, the US, western Canada and the British Isles. They will be doing live history shows at museums and historic homes on two continents.

After everyone left I said, “I didn’t get much work done this afternoon.”

My wife replied, “You got the most important thing done—time with your family. You need to appreciate these times. You won’t be seeing them much this summer.”

Of course she is right. Time spent with family is precious. You can sense that same appreciation of family in today’s reading from Psalm 144. David, the psalmist, makes this observation: Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision.

That’s what I want for my family. We want peace and prosperity. These are blessings that come to us from the good hand of God. Yesterday I experience these things. Together, we are truly blessed.

Response: LORD God, I thank you for my family. In them and through them I am blessed beyond measure. You have been very kind to us. Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you see your family as a blessing, or as a burden? How can you show your appreciation?

A New Song, a New Victory

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by in Mid-Week Medtiation, Psalms

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Sing to the LORD a new song because he has done wonderful things! His own strong hand and his own holy arm have won the victory! (Psalm 98:1, CEV).

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First Crocus — a sign of spring’s victory over winter — photo by David Kitz

Reflection

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

If the resurrection of new life in spring is viewed as a victory over the cruelty of winter, then in this season we can see reasons to rejoice and sing all around us. The blooming crocus can be seen as a symbol of victory over death and decay.

The psalmist and nature itself call us to praise:

Sing to the LORD a new song because he has done wonderful things! His own strong hand and his own holy arm have won the victory! (Psalm 98:1, CEV).

New victories call forth new songs of praise. But let’s never forget the source of those victories. If it appears that our talents and intelligence have brought us success, we need to remember the One who gave us those talents and quickened our mind.

My life—your life—is found in God. As the apostle Paul states, “In God we live, move, and exist” (Acts 17:28, CEV). Our victory—our resurrection comes from Him. His own strong hand and his own holy arm have won the victory!

Response: LORD God, I sing my praise to you. Every personal joy and triumph comes from you. Put a new song in my heart today, because you have done wonderful things. Amen.

Your Turn: Has God given you new songs of praise to sing?

New Life

11 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in Friday's Focus, Psalms

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You made me suffer a lot, but you will bring me back from this deep pit and give me new life (Psalm 71:20, CEV).

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The Waters Edge — photo by David Kitz

Reflection

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

If you look closely at the photo above, you can see new leaves that have emerged on the shrubs. The long winter is over; new life is stirring. It will be another month before we see shrubs at this stage here in Ottawa, Canada, but the great snow melt has begun. The sap is beginning to flow.

We are witnessing a resurrection in nature. We see the same resurrection theme in today’s verse from the Psalms.

You made me suffer a lot, but you will bring me back from this deep pit and give me new life (Psalm 71:20, CEV).

Jesus, our Savior and Lord, suffered a lot. He suffered the penalty of sin that we deserved. But God the Father brought him back from the deep pit of death and gave him new life. Through faith in Jesus, the promise of this verse is ours as well. Whatever state you find yourself in—in suffering or rejoicing—make that promise your own today.

Response: LORD God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, I receive new life now with the promise of eternal life. A thousand thanks are not enough. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you received new life through Christ?