By Dr. Michael L. Williams
Psalm 119:17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
Many artists have drawn or painted a bowl or basket of fruit. Around Thanksgiving, the fruit and even vegetables are staged as a decoration so that they appear to be spilling out of a horn shaped basket. The basket, called a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, originated in Greek mythology as a goat’s horn filled with milk, and later grains and nuts, to feed the Greek god Zeus.
The word cornucopia combines the words cornu, meaning horn (like in coronet), and copia (like in copious), meaning abundant. This thinking led to it being used as a table decoration in times of harvest to symbolize the never-ending provision of an abundant harvest.
Our key Bible passage addresses the hope that God would deal bountifully with us as His servants. As servants, God has called us to do His work. At the same time, God knows that we may need things to accomplish what He wants us to do. For example, if God calls us to feed the hungry, He knows we may need things such as food; containers to store, prepare, or serve it; cooking utensils; and a place to cook and serve the food.
The wonderful thing about God’s calling is that when it is the Lord’s will, He will make a way. If we think about it, God never had to take out a mortgage to fund the creation of the heavens and the earth. Likewise, God never has to rely on us to accomplish what He wants done. This does not mean that we sit back and say, “Okay God, work your magic. Show me what you got!” Instead, God wants us to be a willing part of His plan: not to see what we can get, but to see what we can give as a demonstration of our love for Him.
However, we must also keep in mind that despite our best efforts, God can always provide for a harvest that is beyond anything we could ever produce on our own. This means that no matter what our part is in the planting and watering, it is God who provides the bountiful and abundant increase for us to harvest. Likewise, God will provide for our living while we carry out His calling.
Just like the lowly ox that does his part in plowing, and planting, and sowing, God provides for his physical needs and He will provide for ours (1 Timothy 5:18). Furthermore, He also provides the power, ability, and wisdom we need to do what He has called us to do (1 Corinthians 1:24-31).
Let us consider that with God’s will and power and might and wisdom, we can have the mind of Christ to do all things through Him to keep His Word in our hearts and minds. When we are able to keep His Word in our hearts and minds, It provides a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path so that we may live to fulfill His calling. When we live to fulfill His calling, we can be eyewitnesses of His majesty and see the full bounty of His provision in everything around us.
Finally, let us make a joyful noise unto the Lord and serve Him with gladness. For He is God and has made us to be His people and the sheep of His pasture. Let us then enter His courts of public opinion with thanksgiving and praise: thankful unto Him and His blessed name. For He is good, and His mercy is everlasting and endures to all generations. Praise be to God!
