By Persevering Produce a Crop

“A farmer went out to sow some seed. As he was scattering the seed, some…fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown…The seed is the word of God…The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. ~ Luke 8:5, 7-8, 11, 14-15

A farmer won’t say, “I’m believing for a harvest of corn,” when he’s planted, or sown, nothing.

A farmer won’t say, “I’m praying and believing for a harvest of wheat,” when he’s sown corn.

Farmers believe they’ll harvest what they’ve sown—wheat for wheat, corn for corn—and so should we.  But it doesn’t stop there.  A farmer’s work isn’t done when the seeds have been planted.  Look at what a farmer does:

He prepares the land.

He plants the seed.

He waters the ground.

He removes the weeds.

He chases off predators, such as rabbits, crows, and deer.

He waters the ground.

He protects the future harvest from inclement weather.

He waters the ground.

He removes the weeds.

And when the first buds pop through the dirt, he knows the harvest isn’t ready yet.

He continues to water the crop.

He continues to chase off predators.

He waits for the perfect timing.

He reaps the harvest.

And then he begins again.

I’ve been praying and believing God for some pretty lofty things in my marriage.  They are nothing that I think God can’t or won’t give us, but they are certainly things I know I can’t obtain or achieve on my own.  So I’ve partnered with Christ.  Daily, I make Him the Lord of my life.  I want Him to be the Author of my life’s story and the Master of this vessel’s journey.

I’ve come to realize that the prize, the victory, is not about “obtaining” those things I desire in my marriage, but about “maintaining” and “maturing” them once we get there.  If all we do is “achieve” the desired level and then stop or back off from the hard work we put in to get there, we will quickly lose all that we’ve accomplished.

Yes, that means continued work, but watching the example of the farmer, it should not be a surprise.  If the farmer planted the seed only, would the harvest have sprouted?  If he did all that work, brought the crop to the perfect timing and even reaped a harvest, but then worked no more, would he continue to have food in his field?  The answer to both is no.  And so it is in our marriages.  If we work hard to win the love of our lives—or even win them again—but then stop working at it, will we keep that same level of intimacy, that same joy, that same passion?

Just as the farmer continued in his field, so we must continue in putting God first in our lives, and work into our marriages.  But through God’s empowering grace, when we look and see all that the Spirit has done in our lives when we partner with Him, we will realize we have not worked at all, but have lived a love story.  And as we continue to put forth the effort, we can say to ourselves, “I am not working for naught, but am working toward greater enjoyment and victories in my marriage.”

Lord, I pray for marriages.  I pray that you would anoint our hands for the work you have called us to do. I pray that everything we put our hands to would prosper because we are more than conquerors. I pray that you would anoint our feet to follow where you call us to go.  I pray for strength in our bones, that our bodies would carry us where you desire for us to go, and we would be able to do the work you call for us to do.  Lord, I pray that we would fix our eyes on Jesus, running as you direct us.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus ~ Hebrews 12:1-2