If you keep your eyes open to the edge of wooded areas in the northeast United States, you may see a fawn or two without its mother. Recently, I saw a mother deer walking with her twins. I watched her nuzzle each one of them and saw them lie down in the grass immediately. My research indicates that the mother will gently touch her babies with her nose, pressing down toward the ground. They instinctively know they are to stay low and wait while she goes to forage. Their spots and lack of scent help them stay safe from predators. The mother will return to her fawns a couple of times during the day to nurse them or if she hears them bleating. Even animals are told to wait for their own benefit.
 
In hindsight, as I remember several times when I have had to wait for the Lord's perfect timing to see something happen, I realize that He has His reasons for the waiting. Scripture is full of examples of people of faith who have had to wait. Abraham, the Father of Faith, waited until he was one hundred years old for his son Isaac to be born. He learned the lesson of faith over sight by looking at the stars and relying on God's word. Hannah desperately wanted a son. She learned to pour out her pain on the Lord and trust Him in the delay. Year after year she prayed and then made a vow to dedicate her son to the Lord's work after his birth. It appears that the timing of Samuel's birth occurred just at the right time when God was looking for a new priest at the Temple.
 
David, son of Jesse, was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king of Israel but waited for fifteen years until he was crowned King of Judah. Seven and one-half years later he was able to reign over all the tribes of Israel. By reading the story of David's life we can see that God had much to teach him before he would be ready to take the reigns as king. He must have learned that God does not deliver on His promises instantly. As he waited David learned to depend on the Lord, a practice he would need when he finally became king.
 
One of the Hebrew words for wait in the Bible is "quvah" (kaw-vah). It is defined as an active waiting that means one waits with hope or entwines oneself together with the Lord. This is what is used in Isaiah 40:31. Different translations of the verse use different English words. The New King James says, "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." The New International Version says, "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint."
 
The imagery for this word "quvah" is the twisting or binding of strands together to make a strong rope. It is an action word and implies that the intertwining represents trust. God loves this! He uses our waiting to draw us closer to Himself. This begs a question: What is our posture toward God as we wait? Knowing that the Lord has a perfect time for our desires to manifest, we should be encouraged that He will reward us for the waiting. This is what is says in Psalm 37:34. "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land..." (NKJ) All of us have territory we desire to take. We should intertwine ourselves more tightly to our God, so we become even more like Him. 

​Thursday morning, we were awakened to the sound of electric hedge trimmers buzzing below our second-story condo. We had noticed the "landscaping" crew working in our community and took note of their improper pruning habits. Every shrub in our area was cut into the shape of a ball, rectangle, or some sort of parallelogram. Flowers buds for next year or ripening stalks of berries for fall beauty were removed. Last year we planted a graceful Nandina that we did not want to fall prey to the undiscerning patterns of those who were cutting the bushes. My husband ran down the stairs and stood guard over our Nandina bush until the crew finished working in our area.
 
As a landscaper, I have great appreciation for the unique way that God designed every tree, bush, and flower. When designing a landscape, it is proper to use different plants with varying growth patterns to enhance the beauty of the places where they are planted. While contemplating all of this, God reminded me how He uniquely formed each of us. Isaiah 64:8 explains how God formed us individually and designed us for our own good and His glory. "Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay; You are the potter; we are all the work of your hands."
 
God's plans and purposes for us are always being challenged by the world and the demonic realm. These entities want to shape us into their own image. Romans 12:2 speaks to this: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will." In the first six verses of Jeremiah 18, God gives us a picture of how He may rework the clay to shape it in the perfect way. He sent the prophet Jeremiah to the potter's house for a picture of His work. "...And I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so, the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as it seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 'Can I not do with you, Israel, as the potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.’” (Verses 3-6) The potter started over again because the clay was not cooperating with him. We, like the clay, need to be moldable and cooperative with God's transformative work in our lives.
 
Jesus is our perfect example of one being yielded to the hands of Father God. He "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross." (Philippians 2:7, 8 - NKJ) Father God engages in every intimate detail of the shaping of our character and destiny. We must submit to His will and trust that the design of our Sovereign God is for our good and His glory. Remember this: "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with every-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

​Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, signed a resolution declaring that June will be "Nuclear Family Month" in his state. He says, "The Nuclear family is God's perfect design for humanity and is aligned with the long-held traditional values of Tennessee." The resolution commends those who seek to protect and strengthen traditional values. It also presents statistics documenting "the harm to children caused by being raised in fatherless homes." These children, it reports, are "ten times more likely to abuse chemical substances," and include "sixty percent of youth suicides, seventy-one percent of high school dropouts, and eighty-five percent of youths in prison."
 
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn's June newsletter tells a story that illustrates the need for fathers in a family even in the animal kingdom. He reports that animal-care personnel at a wildlife preserve in Africa discovered rhinoceroses that had been killed by wild, young male elephants. Elephants are not known to be killers, so the park overseers began to research how the elephants grew up. It was discovered that they had grown up without fathers so had no one to model proper elephant behavior. They were drawn into violent behavior. The fascinating answer to their dilemma was to ship elephant father figures into the preserve who could demonstrate proper behavior to the juvenile delinquent elephants. Before long, the young elephants stopped attacking.
 
This elephant display of the need for fathers should be taken to heart by our own society. In a recent sermon at Bethel Church in California, Pastor Kris Vallaton talked about the deconstruction of the family in America. He quoted a staggering statistic that fifty-one percent of children in America are born without a dad. He claims that the United States is the most prominent fatherless nation in the world. Because of this orphan spirit, children are growing up with a mindset of abandonment, rejection, and emotional isolation. The feelings that come from a lack of a loving father on earth make it difficult for these children to connect with Father God, and instead of viewing Him as a loving father, they view Him as a distant and demanding god.
 
The Church must be involved in helping young people break free of an orphan spirit. I believe that the greatest curse on earth today is our fatherless generation. Romans 8:19-22 tells us that even creation groans as it waits for the manifestation of the mature children of God. Most definitely, the ills of our society can be traced to the feeling of alienation that children have from earthly fathers and Father God. We need a demonstration of Father’s love by the men of the Church who have received the Spirit of God and know their sonship so that they cry, "Abba, Father!" (Romans 8:15) To our fatherless generation, the Church must make available to them opportunities to develop a personal relationship with Father God through prayer and worship and studying the Word of God that defines their identity and declares the truth. The community of Believers must support and encourage those who have the orphan spirit so that they can replace the lies with truth.
 
Everything that God does is for love's sake as He is love! He loved the world so much that "He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) We have a promise in Malachi 4:6 that God "will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers." This verse is repeated in Luke 1:17. Let us pray it in!

​In Bucks County Pennsylvania it is wheat harvest time. I love looking across the rolling, expansive, golden-brown fields ready to be cut. The farmer determines if the crop is ready by pressing his fingernail into the kernel. If no mark is left, the grain is ideal for harvest. It is called winter wheat and would have been sown in the fall. Once the crop is inspected and ready for harvest, the farmer brings in a combine harvester. This one machine does several operations: It cuts the stalks, threshes the grain (by separating the grain from the husk), and blows out the waste (called winnowing). The next machine to come onto the field is a baler. It collects the wheat stems and compresses them into cylindrical or rectangular bales. Then they are transported to be used to feed livestock or as a fertilizer additive. In the meantime, the harvested grain is loaded onto trucks and taken to local farm buildings. There it is dropped into tall steel or concrete silos to be processed into flour.
 
Something I noticed about local harvesting is that it is done to the very edge of the field. Such a practice would have been unacceptable in Biblical days. Leviticus 19:22 says, "When you reap the harvest of your land do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God." This law of leftovers is repeated in Deuteronomy 24:19. "When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for a foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." Verse 22 explains further: "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this."
 
The Jews call this tradition "Pe'ah" or "leaving the corners or edges." As we can see in the Deuteronomy Scripture, when we show compassion and generosity to those who are less fortunate than we are, it touches the heart of God, and He promises to bless us. This was also a way of preserving the dignity of the needy by allowing them to harvest the food for themselves. We can see this played out in the book of Ruth. "One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, 'Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain. Maybe someone will be kind enough to let me gather the grain he leaves behind.' Naomi said to her, 'Go, my daughter.' So, Ruth went to the fields to gather the grain the reapers left behind..." (Ruth 2: 2, 3 - TPT)
 
Today, as we do not live in an agrarian society, how can we apply the principle of leaving the edges? First, we must not live a marginless life. When we use everything we have, including money, time, and energy, we open the door to exhaustion and fear, fear that we will not have enough. The root of living like this is lack of faith. We must believe that God will provide for our needs. As the Bible says, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”
(Matthew 6:19, 20 - NKJ) Second, a Christian has the obligation to take care of those in need in our communities. The underlying purpose of "leaving the edges" can be demonstrated through acts of charity or kindness.
 
We live in a society where people spend all that they have to satisfy their desires for the latest and greatest vehicle or computer or gadget of the day. The responsibility to live within their means has been forgotten. There is nothing left for a rainy day or to help others. Let us take Hebrew 13:5 to heart as it is a promise from God for us to embrace. "Don't be obsessed with money, but live content with what you have, for you always have God's presence. For hasn't He promised you, 'I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life.” (TPT)

​While I was a student in the horticulture department at Temple University, I learned so much that pointed directly to God. One of my greatest joys was collecting gardening books and looking at their beautiful plant pictures. The diversity of every form of plant is amazing. A practical little book that I purchased was called Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte. The book gives the reader recommendations for companion planting or planting certain vegetables or flowers near one another. For example, Carrots are good companion plants for leeks because the carrot fly that attacks carrots does not like the smell of leeks so stays away from their location. The other benefit is that the onion fly and leek moth are repelled by the smell of carrots so there is a natural protection of the leek. The book recommends that a gardener plant radishes around cucumbers and squash because they repel the cucumber beetle. Companion planting is helpful for organic gardeners who do not want to use chemicals on their plants.
 
A reason to plant tomatoes with carrots is because they have different root systems. Tomatoes grow above the ground while carrots are root plants. As I read about planting corn with pumpkins, I had to laugh. Pumpkin leaves are very sticky and repel racoons from coming to eat the corn. Why? Racoons do not like the stickery vines on their paws. Companion planting gives the gardener beneficial results. Plants, when placed properly, can actually help each other grow, which results in healthier and more productive gardens. The main message of this book is that plants grow to their fullest potential when surrounded by positive companions.

When we turn our attention to the Bible, we can see that God frequently uses gardening stories and plant analogies to demonstrate how Christians should grow and produce fruit. May I suggest that our workplaces, churches, and families are like gardens that can help us to grow in productive ways? All of us have God-given gifts within that are meant to help others grow into their unique potential to reflect the Lord. God ordained that we live with others and complement one another.

We are strategically placed in our friendships, marriages, workplaces, and churches to encourage and help others to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica: "Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing...Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else." (1 Thessalonians 5:11-15)

Romans 14: 19 in The Passion Translation exhorts us to "make it your top priority to live a life of peace with harmony in your relationships, eagerly seeking to strengthen and encourage one another." We are meant to be a blessing to others. As we help them to grow and become more Christlike, they will do the same for us.

After crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel began their journey toward the Promised Land. The route would be through the wilderness where their surroundings required constant miracles for survival. Three days into their trip they began to grumble about lack of water. After finding undrinkable water, Moses called upon the Lord. He was instructed to place a "tree" into the bitter water of Marah. The waters were transformed into sweet, drinkable water. At this spot, God introduced Himself to the Israelites as Jehovah Rapha, "The Lord Who Heals You." From Marah, the Lord led them to an oasis called Elim or "The place of great trees." Not only were there twelve springs of water but also seventy date palm trees. Scripture says, "So they camped there by the waters." (Exodus 15:27) What a miraculous encouragement!
 
I thought back on this section of Scripture this week as I looked at pictures of the desert in Israel today. Normally, the expansive southern portion of Israel, known as the Negev, is characterized by brown, rocky, and rugged mountains because there is so little rainfall and sparse vegetation. However, the rainy season that comes during the winter months brings the desert to life. This year there were uncharacteristically heavy rains that transformed the wilderness into a vibrant landscape of green ground cover sprinkled with a plethora of flowers.
 
Psalm 126:4 invites us to compare the wilderness seasons of our lives to the transforming landscape that comes about when the wadis or dry riverbeds of the desert overflow with water after the rains. The water brings what seems like instant life to the desert, and pictures how our lives can be transformed from barren and desolate places into those of hope and renewal. The children of Israel were returning to Zion after years in captivity and sang out, "Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev."
 
The Desert show in the Negev is so spectacular this year that many travelers have been drawn to the region to witness the amazing transformation of the landscape. Portions of this desert were inaccessible to the people because of the Hamas-initiated war on October 7, 2023. So, it is with great joy that the people of Israel have returned to look at the spectacle of beauty that speaks of hope to them. The God who makes the flowers grow in such harsh conditions is also the God who will help them triumph over adversity.
 
Those who live in the Negev celebrate the spectacle of flowers with a yearly festival called Darom Adom. It is named for Israel's national flower, the red anemone, or Kalanit in Hebrew, which means "The Red South." For about six weeks while the desert blossoms, there is a period of time when the hills are covered with a carpet of red anemone. Among the sea of red, one can also spot white iris, yellow mustard, and purple lupines. The transformation of the desert is truly a spectacle to celebrate that draws our attention to the God of creation—Elohim.
 
This amazing display of God's glory on earth recalls His promise from Isaiah 35, verses 1 and 2. "The Desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God." We too can blossom as we ask for the water of God's Spirit to be poured upon us. Hallelujah! 

Environmentalist Rachel Carson said, "Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life." It is incumbent on us to deliberately slow down to contemplate the creativity and majesty of the Lord. Doing this puts life into perspective and repositions us to renew our awe of God.
 
Sadly, I believe that our society has lost its awe of God. David's Psalm 8 reminds us of the Lord's excellence. "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor...O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!" (Verses 3-5, 9 - NKJ) When I want to reinvigorate my awe of God at this time of the year, I look outside at the snow-covered ground and am reminded that every one of the millions of snowflakes is unique.
 
Henry David Thoreau says it so well in writing about snowflakes: "How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat. Nature is full of genius, full of divinity: so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand." As I contemplate this statement, I look at a book that I have come to treasure over the years. It shows me individual pictures of over one hundred snowflakes. The author of the book called The Little Book of Snowflakes, Kenneth Libbrecht, explains that the images are of "freshly fallen snowflakes, captured using a special photo-microscope. The most symmetrical crystals are usually found during light snowfalls, with little wind, when the weather is especially cold."
 
Mr. Libbrecht includes some interesting information about snowflakes in his book. He writes, "Many well-formed snowflakes have six nearly symmetrical branches. Sometimes you may find twelve-branched snowflakes as well. One thing you will not find falling from the sky is an eight-sided snowflake...A symmetrical snowflake is not a frozen raindrop, but rather a single crystal of ice that grows directly from water vapor in the air. The process takes about fifteen minutes, as the snowflake slowly drifts to earth...We do not yet understand all the subtle mysteries of snowflakes. Exactly how the simple interactions of water molecules produce such a dramatic diversity of structures remains a puzzle."
 
The author of my snowflake book is optimistic in his evaluation that scientists do “not yet understand the subtle mysteries of snowflakes." I believe this is a mystery of God that we should accept and then let it grow into an amazing awe of who He is and what He has done. God has left us clues about Himself in what He has created. I am reminded of the song, "How Great Thou Art." "O Lord, my God, when I, in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made. I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder; Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee. How great Thou art, how great Thou art." Why not spend this week contemplating the mysteries of God? It will increase our awe of Him. 

It is a mystery of nature! On the first week of January my husband and I saw a large flock of robins as we took our afternoon walk. They were enticed to gather around a crabapple tree in our complex that was still laden with tiny crabapples. My first thought was, "Hooray! Spring is coming early this year." When I returned home, I did some research and learned that this is not necessarily so.
 
The migration pattern for robins is variable. As the breeding season ends and the babies have been raised, robins begin to gather in flocks. At times they will head south, but not always. Some just move to the nearest woodland, especially those with evergreen cover. Here they are still able to find some grubs, worms, and insects. In the winter, the robins also depend upon fruit-bearing trees, shrubs, and vines for sustenance.
 
Some of the robins who stay in their home territory will be joined by other robins who have migrated from areas further north. This is when large nomadic flocks are formed for the winter. These flocks are formed for safety from predators and for greater ease in finding food. Robins need to be flexible about their habitat. Some years fruit seems to be produced in greater abundance than others. The birds instinctively know if they need to migrate or can "stay put." For those who do migrate, we can expect them to return home on or about the time of the vernal equinox or March 20th.
 
I have believed for years that the appearance of flocks of robins in the winter is a harbinger of spring. Sadly, my bubble has been burst. Still, anytime of the year, when flocks of robins gather to peck the ground for the easily available worms after a rainstorm, there is an excitement that wells up inside of me. Their appearance excites me, and a reawakening feeling comes upon me. I am finally able to identify this as an assurance from my Heavenly Father that He cares for me and demonstrates His love and provision even through the birds.
 
This brings to mind the Scripture in Matthew 6:25-34 where we are told to entrust our lives to Him. "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet their heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life...So, do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
 
In the future, I will use my robin sightings as a reminder of the faithfulness of God and will let His peace and encouragement wash over me. I will end this meditation with Psalm 100 and hope that it reminds you of the love and faithfulness of God for us. "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. The Lord is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." 

 If you have recently gone past a vineyard, you may have seen the rows of grapes covered by netting. This netting is a critical tool in protecting the fruit of the vine. Certain threats can reduce the yield of the crop and negatively affect the quality of the grapes. Vineyard netting safeguards the grapes from birds, insects, and harsh weather conditions. Vine growers want their crop to reach optimal ripeness without damage.
 
Netting is usually applied to the vines before the stage of fruit development called veraison. This is a time when the color of the grapes changes and the fruit softens. It means that the sugar levels in the fruit are rising, and the acidity levels are falling. In addition, the size of the fruit is increasing, and the aroma is developing. All these signs mean that the harvest is about thirty to sixty days away.
 
We can trace the history of God's desire for us to bear fruit back to creation. Genesis 1:27 talks about the creation of mankind. In verse 28 it says, "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.'" From the loins of Abraham came God's chosen people, Israel. When He brought them into the Promised Land, the Israelites had an up and down relationship with the Lord, but He remained faithful to His covenant with them. The prophets frequently refer to Israel as a vineyard. The restoration of Israel is written about in Isaiah 27. "In that day sing to her, 'A vineyard of red wine! I the Lord, keep it, I water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day.'--Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit." (Verses 2, 3, & 6)
 
The secret to bearing fruit is in one’s relationship with the Lord. "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in the year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7 & 8) In Zechariah 8, the prophet declares God's desire to be faithful to His people. He tells them, "I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be My people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God... The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people...I will save you, and you will be a blessing..." (Verses 7, 8, 12 & 13)
 
In the New Testament we can read the words of Jesus about bearing fruit. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15: 1, 2 & 5) Like the children of Israel, we are not perfect. However, Jesus made provision for every sin. It is His love that protects or covers us. The prophet Isaiah gives us the Lord's response: "I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand—I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundation of the earth..." (Isaiah 51:16)
 
Just as the Lord loves us, He calls us to love others. Let us remember the words of Jesus in John 15:16 and 17. "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other." We are meant to bear the fruit of the Spirit talked about in Galatians 5:22 and 23, ("Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.") and we can count on God to cover and protect it.

​One of the fascinating displays at our local Grange Fair was of honeybees. Not only were there posters explaining the process of making honey, but there was also a beehive frame with hundreds of bees around the queen bee. One of the posters told us that the bee is the first animal domesticated by man thousands of years ago. The poster went on to say, "In Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, India, South Africa, and the Americas, people have harvested since the dawn of time the nests of wild bees, then began installing colonies in wooden, ceramic, mud, or straw habitats."
 
Bees make and store honey so that they have something to eat when there are not enough flowers in bloom. They find both pollen (their source of protein) and nectar (their carbohydrate) from flowers. Every flower produces a unique flavor and color of honey. Bees collect the nectar through their tongues, called the proboscis. Those who do the collecting are called forager bees. They bring the nectar to the hive in what is called their "honey stomach." The enzymes in their stomachs begin to break down the nectar into simpler sugar. When back at the hive, the forager bees pass the nectar on to the younger bees called house bees. The nectar is passed from one house bee to another which further breaks down the sugar and reduces the water content. It is then deposited into hexagonal-shaped honeycomb cells. The water content of the honey must get below twenty percent to be ready. The bees then seal the honeycomb with a wax cap.
 
I read on "honeyflow.com" that it takes two million flower visits for a honeybee colony to produce one pound of honey. This must be why there is a need for so many bees in a colony. Every bee in a colony becomes essential to the protection of honey. Recently, there has been a decline in the bee population due to pesticides, habitat loss, diseases, and parasites. Shifts in temperature and rainfall patterns can also affect a colony. Bees cannot fly in the rain. Without honeybees our diets would suffer greatly. They are necessary for pollination. There is an organization called The California Almond Board that has been campaigning to save bees. They say that almonds would not exist without the pollination of the honeybees. Apples, avocados, onions, and some berry types also rely on bees for pollination.
 
In the Bible, honey is associated with abundance, provision, sweetness, and blessing. Multiple times, when God was bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, He told them He was bringing them into a land "flowing with milk and honey." Moses reminded his people of this: "Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you." (Deuteronomy 6:3)
 
The Psalmist writes about honey from the rock: "If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways...You would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock, I would satisfy you." (Psalm 81:13, 16) Here, I believe the rock could represent Jesus—our source of sustenance, blessing, and grace. Even during challenging times, God's goodness brings us blessing and joy. We should also remember that as honey is sweet and nourishing, so is God's Word. "How sweet are Your words, to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth." (Psalm 119:103)