Psalm 65:9-10

“You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.” vs. 9

For much of our existence, humans lived close to nature and were familiar with the rhythms of the seasons. They saw God connections clearly and recognized the presence of the Lord in the tilling of crops and the watering of the soil. Some would even say that it’s hard to find a convinced atheist who is also a farmer. The psalmist would heartily agree. Our God is intimately connected to all that exists and is regularly experienced in the everyday miracles of nature’s cycles. In recent years though, the world has seen a massive shift from rural to urban areas as mechanized farming has deprived billions of their livelihoods. Cities have swelled while croplands have become virtually deserted. Some would say that this is a good thing and that massive farm operations are the way of the future. Others suspect that the shift is driven more by a desire for wealth than it is the good of humanity. We really haven’t had time to figure out the consequences of this shift–it’s only been a hundred years or so since the move began. What we do know is that city living is a challenge, and sometimes God seems remote. Right now the shift is an experiment–who knows how it will turn out?

Thought for the Day: What are the blessings of farm life?