When was the last time you heard, or enjoyed singing, this good old Harvest Festival hymn?
We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain
All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all His love.
Singing these words with joyful, thankful hearts, we remind ourselves of what our Creator, the Lord God Almighty tells us in His Word, the Bible. We sow the seed, but it is only God Who causes the seed to germinate, grow, flower and produce beautiful blooms, flavoursome fruit and vibrant vegetables. Man, with all his ingenuity, scientific skill and experimentation cannot replicate what only God can do.
How many times have you sown seeds in your flower bed or vegetable patch, watered them regularly, waited patiently for them to grow, but then been disappointed when nothing happened? The farmer waits patiently for the crops to grow and ripen and is sometimes thwarted through flood, drought, landslide etc. which are often caused by man’s foolishness. As we look at God’s worldwide plentiful and sufficient provision, it reminds us of our indebtedness to the Lord for all His good gifts to us and none more so than His great love demonstrated to us through His Son our Lord Jesus.
He only is the Maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The wind and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread
This verse reminds us that we did not accidentally evolve over millions of years from a mixture of chemical slime in some primeval swamp, but that our Maker designed, activated and sustains the whole of creation. He only is the Maker; our Sovereign Lord, Who created us in His own image, Who designed us for fellowship with Himself as a loving heavenly Father with His children. And as Father, He has promised to give us our daily bread, but we will only know the fullness of His love, blessings and provision as we walk in harmony with Him, obeying His righteous laws designed for good.
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease”
Do you know the Lord as your Creator and Heavenly Father … and are you truthfully declaring:
“Thankyou Father, for all Your loving kindness, shown to me in thousands of ways day by day”?
We thank you, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed-time and the harvest, our life, our health, our food:
Accept the gifts we offer for all Your love imparts;
And that which You most welcome, our humble, thankful hearts.
As we have clearly seen from the words of that hymn, the Lord alone is worthy of our humble gratitude, thanksgiving and heartfelt praise. And this, not only for His gracious daily provision, but even more for giving us His only Son, the Lord Jesus, to be our Saviour, Who died on the cross for our forgiveness and restoration back into full fellowship with our great God and Father, the Lord God Almighty. I pray that you will know the truth and fullness of ALL God’s wonderful provisions for you ~
All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all His love.
Ron Brickman