Many references to farming in the Scripture

It is truly one of my favorite times here in Iowa. Farmers are getting the ground prepared and the planters loaded and just waiting till the soil hits the magic temperature that signals it?s time to plant. If you have read scripture very much at all, you have noticed there are many references to farming that are made. We see planting and harvesting as symbols of our mission here on the Earth. One item that gets overlooked by so many of us is time. In the book of Mark chapter 4 we read one of the most told parables of Jesus. In this parable he illustrates that the message of Christ must be presented to everyone. It then becomes their choice to accept it or not. As you read further you see a story of a farmer who scatters seed and every day he gets up to check on the field and eventually it grows and produces a valuable harvest.

The area between planting seed and harvesting is a time that many of us do not enjoy. The waiting process is difficult for us. Today, in a world of one minute burritos and drive-through fast food, we seem to have forgotten the value of waiting. What we must realize is that even though we don?t see the green sprouts bursting forth out of the ground, it does not mean that growth is not happening. In China there is a bamboo tree that appears to lie dormant for four years before it ever sprouts. During that four year period of time, the roots and support under the soil develop. in it?s fifth year, it will break through the ground and grow to be up to 90 feet tall in just one year. There are many of us who may feel that God has somehow forgotten all about us. We may think that the promise or dream that he gave us so many years ago will never come. The truth of the matter is that for most they find themselves in a waiting pattern. It is easy for us to get frustrated with God, but God wants us to understand the wait.

We have to remember that God is the giver of perfect gifts. If he were to quickly give you everything you wanted or asked for, where would your faith actually be? We would not view God as sovereign, but as some cosmic genie that answers our every wish. On the other side of this coin, we must understand that God is also not some sadistic individual who makes you dance and reach for something only to jerk it away from you at the last possible second. He wants what is best for us. We simply need to understand that the wait yields a great harvest just like the parables of Mark chapter 4 suggest. If you find yourself in the waiting pattern, take heart. Something is growing. Fight the fears of uncertainty and hold to your faith in Almighty God who has never once failed or lied. He is the author of love and hope. You will harvest in due season if you do not give up. Lots of people have questions and if you find yourself in the middle of one that you just don?t understand, we invite you to come and ask. Our services are Sundays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. Come be a part.