“And the first day that I came here there came to me an animal, called otter, and brought me a fish, and a hearth-flint to make a fire withal…And the same messenger would come to me every third day with his refection. And I remained thus to the end of thirty years without lack of food or drink. And a stream of water would drop from the rock every Sunday, in which I would wash my hands, and drink a draught to quench my thirst.”
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
– Psalm 119.89-91
“Dressed Up”
Who doesn’t like otters? And who hasn’t known the glorious refreshment of a cold drink on a hot day?
Paul the hermit told a bit of his story to Brendan and his crew, the point of which seems to have been to assure them that, as they continued their journey in quest of The Promised Land of the Saints, God would meet their needs.
Perhaps when Paul first arrived on this island, a missionary and hermit, sent out by an Irish monastery, he observed an otter catching a fish. Following the animal’s example, he learned to fish and thus God provided for his daily bread. And he was surely able to find fresh water, but placing this bit of refreshment on the Lord’s Day would serve as a double reminder to his guests: God will provide all the physical refresh-ment you require, and He will refresh your soul as well, if you are careful to observe His day.
Or maybe the story happened just as Paul recounted it? God, Who used a raven to feed Elijah, could use an otter to feed Paul every third day.
But, given its provenance, I suspect Paul’s account as we have it in our ancient manuscript was “dressed up” a bit, as was the habit of Irish storytellers, to keep the attention of hearers and, at the same time, remind God’s servants that His creation is ample to provide all their needs through God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
All Provision Is from God
We must not take for granted that God provides all our daily provision, not just the food we eat. His creation provides the air we breathe, the right atmospheric pressure to sustain us, the light of the sun and the dark of night, the clothing we wear, the materials that went into building our house, and, of course, the food and drink that sustain and delight us daily. All creation is meant to serve us and to be the source for meeting our needs. We are called to exercise dominion over the creation, to be good stewards of the vast material resources God has put at our disposal, so that we may honor Him in the use we make of them. God will use creation to serve us and meet our needs as surely as He did those of Elijah, Paul the hermit, and Brendan.
Paul gave Brendan needed reassurance that God would provide for him through the course of his journey, just as He had provided for Paul. The storyteller’s account of this conversa-tion does not detract from the sovereign care of God for us and all creatures; rather, it heightens that point, and it does so in a way more likely to “stick” divine providence in our minds.
Our duty is, first, to give thanks to God, since every good and perfect gift that provides for our needs comes from His hand. Giving thanks reminds us that we are dependent on God and that He will never fail us nor forsake us. We might have to go hungry or be made homeless or fall ill. But God will still be there, our Good Shepherd, caring for and attending to us until He brings us safely to the true Promised Land of the Saints.
God has stationed He servants all around us. They do all His bidding, according to His ordinances, and God will make sure they continue serving Him by serving us. Give thanks and praise to God for these faithful servants.
For Reflection
1. Is there anything in your world that does not have its origin in some aspect of creation? Do you give thanks for God’s provision of all your needs?
2. How should remembering that God will meet all your needs encourage you as a servant of others?
Psalm 146.5-10
(Hallelujah! What a Savior!: Man of Sorrows)
Blessed are they whose hope resides
in the LORD, blessed at His side.
By Him heav’n and earth abide—
God forever reigns in Zion!
He is faithful evermore;
He gives justice to the poor,
feeds the hungry from His store—
God forever reigns in Zion!
Jesus sets the pris’ner free,
heals blind eyes that they may see,
lifts those burdened painfully—
God forever reigns in Zion!
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
If you’d like to see some other examples of the lives of Irish saints, download the PDF of our free book by that title by clicking here.
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, teaches us how to pray for the ministries of our church. Read recent installments in this series by clicking here. And new in our bookstore, our workbook, The Ongoing Work of Christ, shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
