"Canning Christians"

Psalms 31:23

“Love the Lord, all his saints, The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.” (NIV, emphasis added)

As the days lengthen and heat up to scorching temperatures, people throughout America begin the arduous task of canning and freezing fresh produce.  People approach this endeavor for many reasons- they are health conscious; budget minded; or perhaps they simply prefer the fresh taste of vegetables and fruits in season.

If you have had any experience in canning, you know that some foods freeze and can better than others.  We have several prolific blueberry bushes that we enjoy picking berries from this time of year.  I much prefer the taste of fresh blueberries to preserved ones, but to avoid waste, we freeze some each year for muffins, pancakes and pies.

As I read Psalms 31:23, the Lord brought to mind a visual of Christians being preserved like blueberries, pears, and peaches.  At first it was a hilarious idea, but as I reflected on that image, I realized how precious His preserving process is.

So much in life comes to steal our hope, joy and peace.  Without the keeping and preserving power of Jesus, many of us would fall into despair.  Psalms 37:23-24 also offers hope for those stumbling under the weight of life, promising:  “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; thought he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”  (NIV) We may stumble, but He is there to preserve us and prevent the fall. 

There is much we can learn about God’s ways by looking at the preserving process. The goal in canning is to preserve life; to make the food last longer.  One year we discovered that the canning process is not fail-proof.  We canned some banana peppers through a recipe we created.  A few months later, when we tried to top our pizza with the peppers, we were disgusted to find that they had turned to mush and had no value whatsoever.  They were just taking up precious space in my pantry.

I do not want to just take up space on this Earth.  I want my fruit to remain beneficial and sweet for others to enjoy.  But to reach that place, sometimes we must allow God to preserve us through walking through the fire.  Cooking stops the decaying process and the heat of the trials in life work similarly in our lives.  When we are in the heat of the battle, impurities leave us, all the wrong stuff boils to the top where God can “skim it off”, leaving a purer product behind.  After which, Christ adds the other spiritual preservatives.  He multiplies peace in our hearts; He increases our joy; He grants us hope that it will get better; He sends us a Word in due season.  Through all of these things, He preserves us.  He keeps us.  We do not walk alone, nor do we walk in our own strength.

Father, today I thank you that you preserve the faithful.  You protect us from being utterly destroyed by pressures, hurts and offences.  Lord, I praise you and ask that you multiply grace and peace to all those who read these words. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Sherri