Irrepressible

What a rich harvest your goodness provides!
Wherever you go there is plenty.
The pastures are filled with flocks;
the hillsides are full of joy.
The land is covered with sheep;
the valleys are full of wheat.
Everything shouts and sings for joy. (verses 11-13)

Read Psalm 65:1-13

Humankind has done a lot to destroy the beauty in the world. We have cut down forests, polluted rivers, degraded landscapes, created deserts, practised warfare, uglified cities and worn away the earth’s mantle of ozone protection. As we breathe in exhaust fumes, wade through an oil slick, stroll past slums, we could get the feeling that we have managed to obliterate much of the earth’s beauty and goodness.

God, however, is irrepressible. He is so good. Unlike humans, who answer negativity with negativity, he continues to bless his creation and resurrect it from the death it’s suffered as a result of neglect and degradation. The sky is blue, caressed by soft clouds. The sun beams in all its power, the moon and stars glow with their own special glory. Trees and plants rejuvenate, the rains fall, the countryside glistens and grows new greenery. The herds and flocks grow fat on the hillsides. There is beauty everywhere, reflecting the generous heart of the creator.

Flawed as we surely are, we still recognise the purity and splendour which bursts all around us from the bare trodden earth. No wonder there is so much joy in the world.

Dear God, thank you for all the good things and great blessings I enjoy so much each day. Amen.

by Richard Hauser, in ‘Living Water for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2001)

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