A Psalm for Farmers

This is the season of anticipation for farmers. They must be patient as they wait for the soil to warm. Their equipment is polished and ready. They wait. Just as the old adage says, "April showers bring May flowers,"' the farmers wait for the rains to come and quench the thirst of the drought-parched lands.

We watch as the daffodils and tulips peek their first leaves through the soil. We wait. We watch for buds to come on the trees. We watch as the robins begin to build their nests for eggs as blue as the sky. We see the pelicans stop by local waters and regroup before heading on to their destination.

Gardeners plan their plantings. Oh to have a big garden again. First the onions, lettuce and radishes, then broccoli and peas, then beans, cucumbers and zucchini and finally the tomato plants, of course. There is much more: sweet corn, squash, beets, carrots, potatoes, and okra to name a few. What did I forget? Nasturtiums and marigolds to keep the bugs away. If only my back could stand all the bending.

This psalm tells who is needed to make springtime happen, God.

"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," (Psalm 65:9-13 NIV).