Be Still And Know

Psalm 65:9 You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so. These days, less than two per cent of the population works in agriculture so, for most of us, harvesting feels a world away from our everyday lives. In pre-industrial society, most people were involved in agriculture, and harvest was a massive communal activity. It was desperately hard work, and the lives of agricultural workers were intimately bound up with the rhythms of the seasons. It’s no wonder that many of the psalms make reference to harvesting. Our circumstances are very different, but we are still dependent on the work of our farmers, and I am delighted that most churches hold harvest celebrations every year. They remind us that our food, however it comes to us, is a gift from God. This is a good moment to focus attention on our farmers. It is well known that the rate of suicide is high among those who work th