God Bless our Land

Monday, November 20, 2017

Deuteronomy 8:7-10: For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

I have the honor and privilege to have been born here. My mother's father came over from Germany before WWI. My father's mother came here at the turn of the 20th century from Germany. My mother's great grandfather was an officer in the Civil War. My family has deep roots in this country along with new roots. And God brought us all here.  God brought all of our families here from one place or another. Similar to God leading the nation of Israel into the promised land, God led families like mine here. For many of our descendants, we are living in a land "flowing with milk and honey." God has provided so much for us. They came here for the promise and hope of a new life.

And what do we do? We grumble because we don't get what we want. We stuff ourselves silly, watch football games, and don't give a second thought to who got us here in the first place. If we only knew half of what God does for us. For if we did know, then we wouldn't be so selfish. I recommend reading Deuteronomy 8:1-6. The nation of Israel was about to go to THE promised land. God through Moses reminded them all of what God did for them. Their shoes didn't wear out. Neither did their clothes. God fed them with quail and manna. God did it all for them. And God continues to lead you here in your "promised land."

So, how do we respond to all of this? How will we respond to God's providence? It's time, and it's always been time, to walk humbly with our God. To open our eyes more fully to all this land has to offer us and those who will come after us. It's time to engage in the world and share God's grace and love to those around us. For example, we have a food drive to support the Good Shepherd home in Huntsville. Drop off a can or two. Bring a few pairs of Christmas socks for those who need socks.

It's time to start to putting the providence of God into action. Dear God, lead us to walk humbly with You, Amen.