“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” Psalm 24.1

I am fortunate in that I live in the country and am able very easily to take my statutory daily exercise in the form of a walk down our lane and across the fields. We also have quite a large garden which can sometimes be thought of as a bit of a burden, but actually in the last few weeks has been a great tonic: I have been able to get out and do something different from spending time on the phone or at a computer screen. It would be stretching it to say that  this has “put me in touch with nature”  as the saying goes, but it has helped me to realise that amidst all the current unease and uncertainty there are  some things which are normal and which are carrying on as they always do. The cycle of the seasons and the beauty of the natural world are constants in our rapidly changing world.

This helps to remind me of two things – the constancy of God’s love for us, and his grace in creating such a lovely world in which to live.  God has shown his love in sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to live amongst us, die for us and to rise again, and that love remains and endures. He also gives of himself by his Holy Spirit who is always with us to guide, help and encourage. We sometimes stray from him, but he is always near to us.

Of course not all our world is uniformly lovely – there are many sad and dark places and even the natural world is under threat from our modern society. (One of the benefits of lockdown has been the reduction in emissions and better air quality – but that is another matter). However, we must never forget the words of Psalm 24, quoted above. The earth is the Lord’s – he is in it, amongst us and around us – and so much of what is bad in our world is the creation of humankind (even the so-called natural disasters). We are not abandoned because the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

“Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory”