When Maid Elizabeth was in grade school we made our way through
Noah Webster's Value of the Bible and Excellence of the Christian Religion - 1834. It is a wonderful book that was designed to walk young children through the bible so they could understand this incredible world that God made specifically for humankind. One section really struck me with its simple wisdom - truths that should be apparent, but aren't. Mr. Webster contends that even the geographical makeup of our planet is providential. His conclusions are summed up in these few paragraphs....
29. Esculent grains - The different species of grain intended for the food of men, and fitted to grow in different climates. Of these rice is one of the principal kinds. It grows only in warm climates, and its qualities are peculiarly fitted for a wholesome diet in such climates, which tend to produce fevers of a bilious type. Probably half of the human race subsist on rice.
30. Wheat, rye and maiz - Next to rice in importance is wheat, which give us the finest flour and best bread. This plant is fitted to grow in almost every habitable latitude. Rye, though less valuable, constitutes a large portion of food in parts of the earth not fitted to produce rice or wheat. Maiz or Indian corn, a native grain of America, supplies an abundance of nourishing food both for man and beast. This grain is wonderfully fitted to grow in different climates. In the warmer latitudes, where the summer is long, it rises to the height of seven or eight feet, and in colder climates, its height is not more than four or five feet.
31. Plants of less general use - In distributing the materials of food, the Creator has given to every country such plants as the climate will bring to perfection. Oats are fitted for cool climates, and in such climates, grow to a larger size than in warmer latitudes. Certain varieties of turnips and potatoes grow to higher perfection in the cool climates of Sweden, Scotland and Nova Scotia, than in the warmer climates and richer soil of more southern latitudes. Such facts prove the benevolence, as well as the wisdom and power of the Creator.
What struck me was that God provided the grains that would be most beneficial to peoples in every part of the world according to their climates and their physical needs. He created everything to serve mankind before he even placed men on the earth. As I schooled Maid Elizabeth, I began to call this concept Providential Geography. It seemed a fitting description.
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| 7 Gallons of fermenting Apple Cider Vinegar |
This fall, as my family and I have been busy gathering the harvest, we have noticed something unusual. Every wild plant in our neck of the woods is producing heavily - abundantly. Unusually so. While we were out picking elderberries for wine and syrup (medicinal), we had to carefully pick our way through rose bushes heavily laden with rose hips. The fruits were as large as small apples and so heavy on bush that they were drooping under the weight. Ignoring the rose hips, we harvested elderberries in huge, juicy clumps. Pounds and pounds of elderberries came home with us while we barely made a dent in the elderberry bushes.
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| A bowl full of elderberries |
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| Divided into buckets to make wine |
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| Elderberry must fermenting in a demijon |
After we got home and were busily removing elderberries from their branches, I began to think of those fruit-laden rose bushes. The more I thought about them, the more I began to realize how unusual such an abundant rose-hip harvest was. It dawned on me that perhaps there was a reason for such an overflowing harvest. Knowing that God prepared the earth to perfectly support mankind, it stood to reason that He also prepared the plants to produce abundantly in anticipation of hardship.
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| Cleaning rose hips |
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| Washing the hips |
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| Divided for wine making |
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| Sugar and yeast added |
Within days, Sir Knight, the children and I were back in the wild, picking pound after pound of rose hips. The fruit practically fell from the bush and filled our baskets, begging to be turned into wonderful things to fill our shelves - and our bellies. We made wine and jelly and syrup and dried and ground the rest of the hips to be made into rose hip tea at the first sign of a cold.
As we worked, I realized that we need to prepare as God provides. This year we had an abundant berry, apple and pear harvest. Honeysuckle, elderberries and rose hips grew in profusion. As God provided, we prepared.
I don't know if this is going to be a hard year. I won't prognosticate on the likelihood of famine or plague. I will, however, prepare for the future with whatever the Lord provides. I will practice Providential Preparedness, just like my brother Joseph. And I will know that God has provided, in advance, for whatever my family needs - as long as I have the wisdom to see His providence.
