He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us;

as someone has said, 'In him we live and move and exist.' It is as some of your poets have said, 'We too are his children.'

How clearly the sky reveals God's glory! How plainly it shows what he has done!

No speech or words are used, no sound is heard;

God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain.

Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!

LORD, your constant love reaches the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the skies.

How precious, O God, is your constant love! We find protection under the shadow of your wings.

Why do you boast, great one, of your evil? God's faithfulness is eternal.

LORD, you have made so many things! How wisely you made them all! The earth is filled with your creatures.

The ships sail on it, and in it plays Leviathan, that sea monster which you made.

You give it to them, and they eat it; you provide food, and they are satisfied.

He is good to everyone and has compassion on all he made.

All living things look hopefully to you, and you give them food when they need it.

You give them enough and satisfy the needs of all.

No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

I will send you rain at the right time, so that the land will produce crops and the trees will bear fruit.

If you do, he will send rain on your land when it is needed, in the autumn and in the spring, so that there will be grain, wine, and olive oil for you,

He will send rain in season from his rich storehouse in the sky and bless all your work, so that you will lend to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any.

After some time, in the third year of the drought, the LORD said to Elijah, "Go and present yourself to King Ahab, and I will send rain."

He sends rain on the land and he waters the fields.

He commands snow to fall on the earth, and sends torrents of drenching rain.

Who makes rain fall where no one lives?

Does either the rain or the dew have a father?

You show your care for the land by sending rain; you make it rich and fertile. You fill the streams with water; you provide the earth with crops. This is how you do it:

What a rich harvest your goodness provides! Wherever you go there is plenty.

The fields are covered with sheep; the valleys are full of wheat. Everything shouts and sings for joy.

You caused abundant rain to fall and restored your worn-out land;

your people made their home there; in your goodness you provided for the poor.

Sing hymns of praise to the LORD; play music on the harp to our God.

He spreads clouds over the sky; he provides rain for the earth and makes grass grow on the hills.

I will let it be overgrown with weeds. I will not trim the vines or hoe the ground; instead, I will let briers and thorns cover it. I will even forbid the clouds to let rain fall on it."

You never thought to honor me, even though I send the autumn rains and the spring rains and give you the harvest season each year.

None of the idols of the nations can send rain; the sky by itself cannot make showers fall. We have put our hope in you, O LORD our God, because you are the one who does these things.

so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.

Elijah was the same kind of person as we are. He prayed earnestly that there would be no rain, and no rain fell on the land for three and a half years.

Once again he prayed, and the sky poured out its rain and the earth produced its crops.

When you have all you want to eat and have built good houses to live in

be sure that you do not become proud and forget the LORD your God who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.

Your people captured fortified cities, fertile land, houses full of wealth, cisterns already dug, olive trees, fruit trees, and vineyards. They ate all they wanted and grew fat; they enjoyed all the good things you gave them.

Instead, you laughed and celebrated. You killed sheep and cattle to eat, and you drank wine. You said, "We might as well eat and drink! Tomorrow we'll be dead."

Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment.