Remembering God’s Provisions

February 14, 2024

I’ve been writing my blog weekly for about five years now. It has always been intended to give its readers hope and encouragement. Not in the world, but in a Savior, Jesus Christ.

Initially, I used photos I’d used in a “Photo-a-Day Challenge” back in 2013. I took the photos as they came in the challenge, one after the other, and asked God to give me a message of encouragement inspired by the photos. That worked well for me (and I hope for the readers) as I had a steady stream of images, and it required me to seek God’s inspiration and my own creativity to produce those posts.

When I ran out of those photos, I went back into my photo files and used what I thought were interesting pictures, again, to share a message of encouragement and hope. That worked pretty well but became increasingly more difficult to select photos and write posts. I believe it just got hard to find an interesting photo that didn’t feel like it was duplicating other photos, because many of my pictures, as can be expected, are from the same events.

Well, I now consider myself out of what I would call “interesting pictures.” So, today’s image and maybe for the next few posts will be using photos that mean something to me for one reason or another. I plan to use these photos for the same purpose as always, but my process is different, so we’ll see how it goes.

Today’s photo is from a surprise birthday trip to Maine my wife gave me in 2013. The trip was a huge success and one of the most memorable events in my life. Sarah went to great lengths to put together the perfect birthday gift and I’ll never forget it. The pictures we took help us remember all the things we did on the trip and those memories bolster my love for her and my thankfulness for what she did.

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In the Bible, David knew how important it was to remember what God had done for him. He wrote about it often. Psalm 103 is one of his more familiar psalms about God’s provisions.

“Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;” (Psalm 103:1-2, NASB)

David didn’t want to forget what God had done for him. The verses following talk about God pardoning sins, healing diseases, giving favor and compassion, and satisfying the years of life. For all these things (and more) David sang “Bless the Lord, my soul.” He blessed the Lord by spending time in remembrance of all the Lord provided.

It’s good for us to do the same. Our hope lies in the Lord and He provides what no one else can. Let’s bless him by remembering all He has done for us.

Also, on this Valentine’s Day, I’m going to make sure my wife knows I love her. Every time I look at this picture of my shirt having been “tagged” by a seagull, and thus earning me a new t-shirt from the lobster boat captain, I’ll remember the perfect birthday gift she gave me.