“Joy and gladness have been taken from the orchards and farms…”  —Jeremiah 48:33a (CEB)

This has been and continues to be a difficult harvest season across the Dakotas-Minnesota Area. Endless rain and impassable fields in Minnesota, early cold and snow or the lingering impact of stubborn drought in the Dakotas, and the depressed prices and loss of markets throughout the heartland have created great anxiety. In all too many places, “joy and gladness have been taken from the orchards and farms.”
 
And so we pray:
 
Gracious and Holy God,
We thank you for the bounty of the land
and for those who plant and harvest
that the world might be fed.
 
We are grateful for the harvest that has
been successfully and safely completed.
And, we pray that you graciously watch over
those farmers yet to complete their harvest.
Grant them favorable weather conditions and keep them safe.
Where there is anxiety, give peace.
Where there is depression, restore hope.
Where there is economic uncertainty, grant protection.
 
Life-giving God, we trust in your faithfulness
and your promise to abide with us always.
So, we are bold to pray that joy and
gladness be restored to our orchards and farms and ranches.
 
We pray in the name of Jesus, in whom we
have our hope and salvation. Amen.

Bishop Bruce R. Ough is resident bishop of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area of The United Methodist Church.