Oh Friends, at last the drought is over! At long last, our God saw it fit to grace my area with showers of blessings, and thankfully, the thirst of the parched land has now been quenched. Praise the Lord! And in His everlasting wisdom, it did not start with a sudden deluge, but first with a gentle sprinkling, then later, the downpour was unleashed. That’s because He knows the earth’s mechanism is like a human’s: when you’re dehydrated, it’s advisable to take small sips of liquid often, not big mouthfuls all at once, else you’ll cause further complications. Oh my brethren, how wonderful are the works of nature, fashioned and created by the Lord God Jehovah! My people, have you ever sat down, stood up, or lain down and admired the beauty of God’s handiwork, and how He preserves them? Many of us have certainly been touched at some stage in our lives by the wonders in general, or a particular wonder of nature. I know I have, and sometimes when I’m driving through a particularly beautiful area of natural, or even man-made vegetation, I’m annoyed that I have to keep my eyes on the road and can’t enjoy the lush creations of God and man to the fullest. And it’s rather sad that so many humans have no time for Mother Nature, don’t appreciate her at all. They obviously don’t realize that they’re missing out on the best part of God’s plans for us. Why do you think He placed us in such beautiful surroundings eh? For us to enjoy them; to feast our eyes, in fact all of our senses, on His marvellous handiwork; to enrich our spirits and our lives; to bring peace and quiet to the tumultuous, stressful and confusing emotions that churn within us in these rat-race days. Oh Friends, haven’t you ever noticed that when you gaze on a truly eye-catching piece of nature; a fiery sunset, a glorious full moon or a titillating bank of colourful flowers, how your soul is just suddenly overcome by a feeling of joy, your stress just evaporates and a peaceful calm takes over your body and soul, causing songs of praise and contentment to rise from deep within your joyous heart and escape through open lips that tremble with awe? That’s God’s purpose for putting us in such close contact with the natural beauty of our surroundings! Note where He first placed our fore parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, so that they could use the senses with which he imbued them, to admire and enjoy the rest of His creations. But like so many of us today, they didn’t understand or appreciate the finer things that the Most High has provided for His most precious creation. And where did Jesus go to release the pain and anguish in His soul before His crucifixion? It was in the Garden of Gethsemane that He sweated blood, contemplating the agonizing death he was about to face. Yes mih people, our Saviour chose a place of peace and quiet, of natural beauty to pray and beseech His Father in the time of His greatest desperation and need. So I don’t understand how we, in our foolish wisdom can’t appreciate and enjoy the Lord’s goodness in nature. Our ancestors surely appreciated it more than us, possibly because in their agrarian based society they depended so much on nature for their livelihood, and surely because they were not as caught up in the artificial busyness of modern day living as we are. That’s why the psalmist in his paean to God’s creation and subsequent preservation of nature could joyfully declare: ‘He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb (vegetation) for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth. And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.’ (Ps.104:13-15) And again in Psalm 147, titled ‘Great is our God and of great power,’ the psalmist proclaims with abundant joy: ‘Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy (LOVING kindness) Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise thy God, O Zion.’ (Ps.147:7-12) Now hear Jeremiah: ‘When he uttereth his voice, there is the multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.’ (Jer.10:13) Yes Friends, the Lord created nature for us to use and enjoy, not abuse and desecrate. This brings back a memory of forty something years ago. As a young boy growing up in God’s Little Acre, Tobago, (smile) I would often go down to the nearby Botanical Gardens in Scarborough, not to steal their Julie mangoes children, (smile) but to sit on the steps of the empty band shell at the top of a hill and admire the beauty of nature all around me in the Gardens, and the sea in the distance in lower Scarborough. I can’t remember if it’s there I first heard an old R&B song by a U.S girl group, The Toys. I think that was their name. I don’t remember the song’s title or all of the words either, but whenever I hear it now, nostalgic thoughts of those days come to mind. And the song began: ‘How gentle is the rain, that falls softly on the meadow…’ Then something about birds flying high above, singing songs of LOVE, or words to that effect. Also; ‘See there beyond the hill, the … colours of the rainbow …some magic from above made this day, just for us to fall in LOVE,’ And isn’t that the God awesome truth Friends! The Lord God Jehovah made this day, and everyday, for His precious creation to fall in LOVE: with ourselves, with each other, and our beautiful surroundings. So let’s go out and do just that nuh; fall in LOVE! Life would be so much more interesting and enjoyable if we did as the Father asked. Much LOVE!…LOVE…it’s the only thing that will cure what ails us…and our sinful, ungodly world…
SCRIP-BITS 