Day 1:
I revel in God's great goodness (Nehemiah 9:25)
When the Lord your God brings you into...a land...filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord... (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).
At first, I was quite puzzled. The tall plants seemed to have sprung up overnight, crowding the garden in their sprawling abundance. My mind struggled to identify what they were. They looked suspiciously like tomato plants, but that couldn't be! I hadn't planted any tomatoes this year. Not after the invasion of stink bugs and lantern flies had wiped them out last year!
But finally, I could no longer doubt my dumfounded eyes. Tomatoes were everywhere! They popped out peek-a-boo style from between the Nasturtiums; cropped up between the Bright Light Cosmos. They dotted the herb pots and filled the raised vegetable beds.
Once I got over my surprise, I finally figured out what had happened. Some of the seeds from last year's failed tomatoes had lain dormant in the compost bin, waiting to explode into new growth when the compost was added to the garden beds in the spring.
And the tomatoes kept coming, and coming, and coming. Day after day, all summer long, I harvested tomatoes, cooked tomatoes, shared tomatoes. And finally, when the frost threatened, I gathered an entire box of mature green tomatoes so they could ripen off the vines.
And still the tomatoes are not done. With the unusually warm November temperatures, the vines continue to produce. This week I gave away tomatoes to two neighbors and two family members!
My "passive production" of tomatoes brought to mind the many ways we experience the pure providence of God. Psalm 104 details some of the natural and ecological systems God has designed to care for our needs and to bless us:
He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.
He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of His work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts (Psalm 104:10-15).
Yet, how often we "forget the Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:12), neglecting, or refusing, to acknowledge the pure providence that sustains us day by day, month by month, year by year! The prophet Jeremiah reminds us, "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).
In this season of thanksgiving, I thank God for "all His benefits" (Psalm 103). And for the tomatoes!
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