Today’s Daily Bread ~ Everyday Miracles

O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.

The closer I get to God, the more awestruck I am by His creation.  The earth is so amazing!  And God truly does provide for our every need.

Did you know that there are more than twenty species of strawberries?  For absolutely no reason that I can fathom, I decided to research strawberries.  Studies show that 94% of American households consume them, and 53% of US citizens say it’s their favorite fruit.

It is the very first fruit to ripen in the spring.  It’s the only fruit that has its seeds on the outside, and each one has roughly 200 seeds.  That means that each strawberry has the potential to produce 200 new strawberry plants. 

Strawberries are low fat, low cal, and high in vitamin C and folic acid (great for pregnant or nursing moms).  They are known to reduce the risk of both cancer and heart attacks.  Strawberries are rich in nitrate, and can increase blood flow to the muscles by 7%.  By eating strawberries before exercising you burn, on average, 100 more calories than you would otherwise.  On top of all that, they’re beautiful!  Isn’t God considerate?

How about the banana?  There are an estimated 1000 varieties of bananas!  Every part of the banana is edible, including the peel, which is often cooked in tropical countries.  The strings running up and down the fruit are called Phloem Bundles, and they act like veins, distributing nutrients to every part of the growing banana.  Isn’t God thorough?

I love a fresh, crisp apple.  Not content with just one or two kinds, God made up to 7500 different types!  A flavanoid found only in apples called phloridzin helps prevent bone loss in post-menopausal women, and increase bone density.  Apples are known to decrease wheezing in asthmatic children.  A study of mice at Cornell University shows that the quercetin in apples may help prevent Alzheimer’s.  Eating two apples a day can lower bad cholesterol by as much as 16%.  Another study shows that an apple or two a day can prevent lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and liver management.  Another component of apples reduces the body’s need for insulin and helps with diabetes management.  God is truly all sufficient.

Think of all the different herbs and spices we use for seasonings.  God didn’t have to make those!  We’re even designed to feed our offspring without a single trip to the grocery store.  A woman’s body will produce breast milk as long as the need for it exists, and the health benefits are astounding.  The first milk, colostrum, is chock full of antibodies, and also acts as a laxative to purge the baby’s bowels of any leftover waste.  When a baby is born premature, the breast actually produces milk with a different composition, easier to break down and absorb.  Doesn’t He simply take your breath away?

He made enough kinds of food that even the pickiest of picky eaters would be satisfied.  Can you imagine the love that went into creation?  The attention to detail?  There are up to 10,000 species of grass!  God made grass for cool, warm, dry or wet climates.  Everything around you is a miracle.

Today, take some time to appreciate the earth.  God made it for YOU.  Creation was made for YOU to enjoy.  Everything around you is evidence that God exists, and that He is enough.  Do not let worry seep into your thoughts.  Put all of your cares aside, and relish the fact that the same God who placed the stars in the sky and calls them by name (Psalm 147:3-5) also calls you by name.  He loves you, cares for you, and has promised to provide for your every need.  He will give you all the strength you’ll need to leap any and all hurdles life places before you today.  And tomorrow He’ll do the very same thing.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are so amazing!  How is it that you love us so much?  All creation declares Your majesty, and still there are so many who don’t believe.  God, we pray that You would show us how to reach them with love.  Please help us to lead them to You by being a living witness.  Let all of our thoughts, words and deeds bring You glory.  Help us to never judge nor condemn, but meet them where they are, and love them as they are.  Help us to see others like You see them, and love them like You love them.  Help us to serve out of joyful obedience to Your Son.  It is in Jesus’ precious, holy name that we pray.  Amen.