Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Life's dependance on God (the rest of the story...)

(Sorry for the fragment I accidentally sent.)

 

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Joel 1:19-20,

 

"To you, O Lord, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures."

 

In the midst of the devastating judgment in Joel's prophecy we see both man and beast looking to the Lord in their desperation to cling to life. While relief from desperation can come from the source of that desperation, a broader truth is painted here: all life clings to its existence only through the Lord providing its opportunity to do so. We see the origin and source of all life found in the Lord in the opening chapters of Genesis. We also read of the maintenance and sustenance of all of life in Paul's writings about the Son of God, Colossians 1:15-17 as well as the writer of Hebrews, Hebrews 1:3.

 

In Psalm 65:9-13 we read, "You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing." Likewise we read in Psalm 147:7-9, "Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call."

 

All of life owes its existence to God. All of life is maintained and continues to exist from moment to moment by the Lord's direct involvement and intervention. Every breath we take is, in a very real way, an extension of God's grace. Were it not for the Lord continuing our existence and providing for that existence we would surely cease to exist in an instant. This state of things points to the horrific blunder of those who fail to acknowledge God's existence!

 

For all of us who have embraced him in faith, we recognize our utter and complete dependence upon the Lord. All we need for life comes from him and is ultimately supplied by him. The wonder of it all is that he has made a commitment to us to provide for our existence for all eternity.

 

It is his promise to us!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

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Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com