A Time to Plant

I live in the country and watch the farmers. When a farmer works a field, he begins by preparing the soil. Then he’ll sow, disc, harrow, fertilize, harrow again, and finally plant. It is a lot of work. After he plants, he stops for a while to allow the seeds time to grow. He waits and hopes for a rich crop.

The seeds of change need some time to germinate and grow. Our emotions need time to catch up with change. We have been plowed and prepared, and now, we give God’s power the necessary time to create in us an internal change.

The author of Ecclesiastes wrote:

"What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him" (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14).

God says He will make everything beautiful in its time. If we are not willing to wait, we are faced with self-will (insisting on our way). That’s destructive. Waiting is an art and can be very powerful. If you can wait, you will often achieve something that you may not have achieved otherwise.

1 Peter 1:13 prepares us for what’s ahead: “Therefore prepare your minds for actions; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Focusing on preparation for change will encourage our faith by allowing us to detach gracefully from our past.

We have a lot of negative talk, old patterns, and beliefs shoved deep down inside (at the core). We’re beginning to let go of them and are replacing them with positive patterns and behavior. The principles of God’s Word are the richest source for positive pattern change.

God can’t change us unless we are ready, willing, and able for Him to do so. Who among us is entirely ready to have our sin and character deficiencies removed? You may discover that there is a point at which you say, “No, I can’t give this up yet.” That is not uncommon. We cannot remove sin or our character deficiencies without the help of God.

“I have held many things in my hands and lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
–Martin Luther