DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2021-11-09
WRITTEN AT: Ormond Beach, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 65:9-13
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹ You show your care for the land by sending rain; you make it rich and fertile. You fill the streams with water; you provide the earth with crops.
This is how you do it:
¹⁰     you send abundant rain on the plowed fields and soak them with water;
you soften the soil with showers and cause the young plants to grow.
¹¹ What a rich harvest your goodness provides!.
¹² The pastures are filled with flocks; the hillsides are full of joy.¹³ The fields are covered with sheep; the valleys are full of wheat. Everything shouts and sings for joy.

APPLICATION: A young man stood watching a church building in his area burn to the ground. The pastor of the church happened to be standing near by and as part of his introduction to the young man, he mentioned that he didn’t recall ever seeing the young man at church before. The response was a bit sobering ‘I’ve never seen the church on fire before’! That might be how it is when we try to talk with our friends about the Lord, we will probably find it easy to relay story after miraculous story from the Bible. We usually find it easy to talk about our dynamic pastor and our exciting church. But I believe we should learn from David in today’s Scripture as we witness his precious encounter with the God of the universe, through the many miraculous things and events around him. It seems just like us to easily find whats wrong in our lives, our yards, our work, our church and our community, but as children of God, how much do we attribute to His almighty hand? I was blessed to recently complete a 4,500 mile trip that took me from Florida, to Kentucky, to Arizona and back to Florida. I left Florida in the height of the rainy season when one could hardly control flooding in low lying areas, to constant mowing of very green grass. Probably enough to complain about, right? But as I traveled west, it wasn’t long before I could only see very dry conditions, hardly any possible way for grass to grow, lots of prickles and cactus, almost impossible to find a citrus fruit tree that could survive. The people were praying for their 3-year drought to be broken, as they were purchasing truckloads of water to run a RV park. Quite the opposite to what I left in Florida, but each area had its unique qualities and evidence of God’s all powerful hand in full view. Each region had Christian brothers and sisters that I could sit down alongside and learn from God. I saw views – beautiful mountains, rivers, rock formations, and flowers that were unique to their respective regions. The same God who created the lush grasses, beautiful beaches and farmland here in Florida, He also created the beauty of the Grand Canyon, The Painted Desert, and many other sites for His children to enjoy and to be reminded of His glory, majesty and almighty power in nature. Oh that we would recognize His goodness, His awesome design, His love for mankind, His all-powerful gifts of providing for our every need. Let me encourage each one today to just life up holy hands, stop whining and complaining of how you could make your region better. God is doing that just perfectly. Just recognize Him and His works so that the unsaved will know that God has not forsaken His people, but loves them immensely through every aspect of nature, and every gift from above.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our God is evident all around us! I believe that our minds might be reenergized after catching a glimpse through the eyes of David when he shared his vision of God in almost everything he placed his eyes on. God is always here, we just need holy eyes in search of Him to catch a glimpse!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please open our eyes so we might see, glimpses of You all around us. Lord, we hear and see so much evil happening every day, oh that our eyes might become fixed on You so that we might be encouraged to seek after You, worship You and to lift up Your name on high so that others might be encouraged and drawn to You. Lord, You are holy and we are not, but please fill us with a desire to see You in everything that You created and placed strategically for us to enjoy. The world need Jesus, may we remind them of how close You really are. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!