We took a day trip yesterday after church to the Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City and then on to Pella to see the tulips. It was a beautiful day for a drive across Iowa. Things are greening up and the bison were roaming and munching grass. The elk were back away from the road so we couldn't see them as well. It was amazing to see all the prairie land that is protected and preserved.
I couldn't help but imagine the pioneers coming across the gentle Iowa hills to make a home in Iowa. Their wagons must have offered a bumpy ride; I think I might have chosen to walk alongside. Life would have been hard back then. They must have chosen a place near water and trees so they had resources for building a cabin and living.
The faith the pioneers had has always impressed me. It would have been a frightening trip, traveling into the unknown. They must have prayed intently for God's guidance and protection. Just as we do today. We can learn much from the pioneers. They read the Bible daily and taught their children what they read.
"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations," (Isaiah 61:10-11 NIV).
May God be close to you today and bless all that you do. Amen.
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