THE SOWER AND THE SEED

The seed is the word of God that produces a spiritual harvest; the soil is the heart of the people.

In Isaiah’s version, God shows the sower of the seed how to prepare the soil, and what and when and where to sow. Isaiah 5:1-5 says that on a fruitful hill, the sower digs and trenches the ground and gathers out the stones from it.

Then when He has leveled the surface, does He not sow carraway and scatter cummin? Does He not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God teaches him the right way.(Isa. 28:25, 26 abridged.)

The application of all that for me is simply this: if the preparation for fruitfulness in the spiritual soil of my life is to be done the right way, it must be the Lord’s way and not my own.

Two steps forward, one step back.
Or is it the other way around?
All my prudent striving never
Overturned a single stone,
Pulled up a bitter root,
Or harrowed up an inch of arid ground.

God knows the job I do when I attempt to clear my own spiritual landscape and produce fruit. He sees the weeds that overtake my efforts, and the ground that must be plowed up—again. But when at last I give up and ask Him to do it, He shows me how.

It’s not an easy process for me: He trenches the hard, dry soil of my heart, and I complain at the pain.

He digs up the stony places in my soul, and I resist their removal.

He burns off the briars of bitterness and I fight the fire. But He persists.

This is hard on the tender flesh, the pride and the will; but since my own efforts at self-improvement are such a notable failure, it’s much better if He does the work and I just submit.

Once He has turned my heart into workable soil, then He can plant His seed. His seed takes root because He knows what to plant in me and how to make it grow.

When I try to generate things myself—and, oh, I have so many good ideas—they often die on the vine. Yes, sometimes they look good; maybe even win a prize or two. But God and I know that when I produce them alone, there’s little life or nourishment in them.

Lord, I have read your word: “it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to his good purpose.” So I pray again today:

God, I submit. Go ahead; plow and prune me. Then, please Lord, let my life flourish with the fruit You have designed me to bear. That will be the fruit that remains.  Amen