You visit the earth and water it;

you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

you provide their grain,

for so you have prepared it.

You water its furrows abundantly,

settling its ridges,

softening it with showers,

and blessing its growth.

You crown the year with your bounty;

your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow,

the hills gird themselves with joy,

the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

the valleys deck themselves with grain,

they shout and sing together for joy.

(Psalm 65:9-13 ESV)

God has greatly blessed our family; always, but especially this year. We’ve had our struggles and disappointments, head-between-the-knees moments of frustration, lost tempers, misguided priorities, among other things.

Yet we have also had a restored joy of salvation and renewed fervor for his righteousness in our lives; an increased hunger and thirst for his word; an ever-growing desire to show love to others around us; an over-whelming urgency to teach our children his truths; an unending desire to bring glory to him – and so much more.

 

His wagon tracks in our lives are overflowing.
I love the way these verses talk about God enriching the earth – he makes his lower creation fruitful, abundant, overflowing. How much more does he bless and overflow, crowning with bounty of all kinds, those who follow hard after him?

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2 ESV)

This year isn’t over yet – there is still plenty of time to sin in many different ways – which I know I will. But the important thing is that I am producing fruit and growing – fruit in keeping with righteousness, the righteousness that has been given to us through Christ – being driven back to the cross every single day.

 

I desire that my daily worship of my Lord would be the most necessary of my daily pursuits, the most sustaining of my daily comforts.

 

Lord, thank you for your patience, love, blessing, bounty, teaching, correction and giving us an opportunity to serve you. Help me to grow in these ways, to never lose the wonder of the cross, nor the desire to be more like Christ. May I serve you wholeheartedly this day and every tomorrow.