Weekly devotion: Living in harmony with the land and each other
MERATH, Lebanon
Workers tend to the crops at the Embrace-funded sustainable agriculture project in Lebanon.
In the Akkar region, located in the far north of Lebanon, food insecurity affects many families. We are supporting our partner MERATH (Middle East Revive and Thrive), as they work with a Baptist church on a new sustainable agriculture project, cultivating previously fallow land owned by the church.
The project uses environmentally friendly farming techniques and produces good-quality organic food that is distributed for free to vulnerable local families struggling to make ends meet. Each year, the harvest has increased. Some of the food produced is now sold and the profits are reinvested to help sustain and build the project.
Bible reading
‘The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it,
for he has founded it on the seas
and established it on the rivers.’
Psalm 24:1-2
Thought
These verses are a reminder that our beautiful world belongs to God. God has given us humans the sacred task of caring for his creation in a way that protects and sustains it. When we steward the environment, we do so for the benefit of all living things – but also for God’s glory.
Our sisters and brothers in Lebanon offer a wonderful example of working harmony with the environment. As one of those involved in the project told us recently: “I feel this land is an example of something spiritual: we used to be so harmful to the land, but we have reconciled it with what God intended for it. We are reconciling with the land.”
Ask yourself: What actions can you take to care for God’s creation?
Prayer
Generous God,
Thank you for your beautiful creation and unending goodness. Please forgive us for not caring for this world as we should. Open our eyes to how we can live in greater harmony with the land, with each other and with you.
We lift before you the sustainable agriculture project in Lebanon: may it continue to bless families in need and may it continue to go from strength to strength.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Climate justice and environmental action - the Christians tackling climate change in the Middle East
The Middle East is one of the areas of the world most affected by climate change. Embrace’s Dr Ruth Valerio shares about an environmental conference she attended in Jordan and how some of Embrace’s projects are tackling the issue.
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