Praying for Farmers and Food Distributors (Psalm 111:2)

“Great are the works of the Lord studied by all who delight in them.”
– Psalm 111:2

Then verse five says, “He provides food for those who fear him.” So as I’m reading through reflecting on Psalm 111:2 in light of the coronavirus crisis that has surrounded us now for months, and the effects of that in different people’s lives and families, churches, communities, cities, our world, and we’re praying for each other. Let me encourage you to continue to send in specific prayer requests that relate to this pandemic, as we’re choosing one of those each day to pray specifically for, so radical.net/prayerrequest.

Praying for Farmers and Food Distributors

Today, we lift up those who labor and toil to ensure food makes it from the farm to our tables.

But I couldn’t help but to think about Psalm 111 verses two and five when I read what Joe wrote in. He said, “Please pray for the food industry. As a farmer and business owner, the last month has been extremely taxing and challenges to continue getting food products to people as well as asking for wisdom daily in leading our organization. And people who are needed to keep getting food to grocery stores, continue to pray that God would use our business for his glory within this platform that he’s entrusted to us.”

I read that and then I read Psalm 111:2, “Great are the works of the Lord studied by to all who delight in them.” So just think about all the works of God, all the ways God works, and we study his ways and we delight in them. And then you get down to verse four and it says, “He provides food for those who fear him.” So you just think about the way Jesus taught us to pray. I mean, one of the most basic things we pray to God is give us this day our daily bread.

Psalm 111:2 Thanks God for His Provision

It reminds me of a quote Martin Luther said. He said, “When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we ask God to give us this day our daily bread. And he does give us our daily bread.” How does he do this though? He does it by means of the farmer who planted and harvested the grain, the baker who made the flour into bread and the person who prepared our meal.

He said, “God could easily give you grain and fruit without our plowing and planting, but he does not want to do so.” And he goes on, he says, “God milks the cows to the vocation of the milkmaids.” Like basically Luther’s talking here about how God does his works. Psalm 111:2, how God uses men and women as the means through which he provides for our basic daily needs. He uses people like Joe and all the men and women who work for Joe’s company. All that happens on his farm.

Thanking God for Our Daily bread

And so as we think about this crisis and its effects in so many different people’s lives, I do, I want to lead us to pray for those whom God is using to provide food to us in so many different ways. For us to praise God for his provision in these ways and to pray for the people who are instruments in his hands, good instruments in his hands for the spread of his provision.

And through that, the spread of his love, his grace, his mercy. So God, we praise you for all your works. We delight in all your works as we study them. As we see your works in so many ways every single day in our lives and specifically as we pray today for our daily bread. Just like you taught us to pray for Jesus, we pray that you would provide for our needs today, our needs for food today, and we praise you for Joe specifically for his family, for the company he leads, for the farm that he owns, for your provision through him and many, many others like him.

Psalm 111:2 Asks for Protection

We pray for your blessings on him, his work, his company, all those who work there. We pray for your protection for them and then flowing from that, people who are processing food in different ways, delivering food in different ways. For those who are working in grocery stores to put food on the shelves.

God, we pray for your protection of them, for your blessing on them, even as we thank you for them. They are evidence of your grace toward all of us. We praise you for them and we pray for them. Thank you God. Help us not to take for granted in any way, any of your works. Your works are wonderful in every way and particularly the way you provide for our need for food on a daily basis, and the people who are instruments in your hands through which your provision comes to us. All glory be to your name, oh God. Great are your works studied by all who delight in you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.