Recently, I left the wine country north of San Francisco where I live to visit relatives living in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. It had been some years since I’d been to SoCal, and never that far southeast in the state.
It’s a remarkable drive.
Over Richardson Bay, through the East Bay hills, onto the interstate, and hours passing thousands upon thousands of acres of agriculture. Much of it is Big Ag, to be sure, but there are also 37,000 farming families and, together, they feed one quarter of the U.S. population. I find myself breathing a prayer of thanksgiving for the bounty of my home state.
Eventually, the Tehachapi Range appears, rising abruptly from the vast fields. Up and over the summit and there, finally, is the desert. Sturdy, rather comical Joshua Trees spread out over the miles of sand, not in stands or groves, but individually, like they aren’t in the mood for tree fellowship. Desert mountain ranges are visible in the distance to the east, beautiful in their folds of variegated tans and browns and rusts. I pass Edwards Air Force Base. There is a significant military presence in this part of the state. Another prayer of thanksgiving for the men and women who stand so faithfully on the wall for me and my loved ones.
It takes almost eight hours to reach my destination. Mile after mile, over 700 of them, but not one static minute. Just beauty and abundance. Human ingenuity and hard work have produced unimaginable amounts of food and other products that bless our lives every single day—and safety and security for us and our families.
My few words here cannot do justice to the sense or the effect of that drive. I do, however, think of it while reading Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus this morning. Written during his first imprisonment in Rome, the recurring phrase is “to the praise of His glory.” No stern, anxious tone, no complaining of his circumstances. No. Here are phrases underlined just within the first few chapters:
- “the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us”
- “riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”
- “the exceeding greatness of His power”
- “God, who is rich in mercy”
- “His great love”
- “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us”
- “the unsearchable riches of Christ”
It’s easy in this season of economic volatility, post-covid fallout, and international distress to lower our gaze. “Lift up your eyes and look”, Jesus said. Why? So we can get some idea of what God has prepared, of what He has available to the trusting, obedient believer—see the magnificent options to care and anxiety. For our spirits and every need there is overflow, abundance, absolute sufficiency. Paul modeled this consistently with his impeccable credentials of tireless travel in faithful service, of suffering and deprivation, and unerring focus on the mighty workings of God.
Although I don’t often use The Message translation, it captures the force of Paul’s language in Ephesians 1:19 particularly well:
O, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him—endless energy, boundless strength!
For you. For me. Beautiful.
Photo: Pixabay