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Speak It Forth!
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Pastor
Howie Stewart, Oklahoma
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Prepare the soil!
I
think we can easily compare our spiritual development to a garden. The picture
Jesus paints of the Sower in Mark chapter 4 shows us striking parallels between
the physical realm and profound spiritual truths. One major lesson of this
parable is that the condition of our hearts matters.
We as
believers need to widen our view of this parable. By that I mean we should not
just think of ourselves as recipients of the seed. Of course we are
recipients and we need to pray that our hearts will be good soil, receptive to
the truth. But beyond that, we need to consider ourselves from the perspective
of the sower! Let us pray that the soil upon which we place the message
of the gospel will be good soil, receptive and eager for the message.
A big
part of our taking the gospel to the world has to do with preparing the soil.
Like a good gardener, our first priority should be to break up the soil,
removing weeds and roots, preparing the soil for the seed.
There
is nothing wrong with the seed in this parable. The problem lay in where it was
sown. Some locations were tougher, more problematic, than others. Some people
seem tougher, more impervious to the Gospel than others. Some seem so hard that
we think they will never surrender to Christ.
The
key is preparing the soil through prayer. Just imagine a corner of the yard
that has lain neglected for many years. Weeds, trash and rocks make it
impervious to the seed. What is needed is hard work: gather the trash, pull the weeds, dig up the
rocks, turn the soil, add nutrients, and invest in the soil. This is a picture
of laboring in prayer. Then sow the seed and pray that it sprouts and
takes root. This is such a simple, yet profound, parable from nature.
One
reason I believe that we do not see more coming to faith in Christ is that we
are not laboring in prayer, toiling over the seedbed. This is a supernatural
task and must be carried out with supernatural tools, the “weapons of our
warfare”. (2 Corinthians 10:4)
We
labor—we war—in prayer. Labor, then, and expect the harvest!
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow
ground.” (Hosea 10:12)
