“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” ~ Hosea 10:12
Your waiting is not in vain. There may be some things you have been hoping for but it seems to you to be delayed or that God has forgotten you. If you are diligently seeking after the Lord you are not in a stagnate place. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) No matter how it looks God is working. Continue to seek God with all your heart. God is cultivating the soil of your heart. He is breaking up fallow ground. In order, for the good seed of the Word of God to take root in our hearts we must be free of all that is hindering spiritual growth.
I don’t have a “green thumb” and I leave all gardening to my husband because in the past I haven’t had much success at it. In fact, I’m terrible at it but I’ve learned a few things observing my husband. The first step is to prepare the soil. Which is difficult if the soil is hard. When the soil is hard plants can’t grow well because the water can’t sift through the ground. The soil must be loosened and broken. Debris and stones must be removed to the start the process. Preparation is just the beginning of the process needed for growth.
Our walk with God is similar. God prepares us and cultivates the soil of our hearts. He gets rid of the debris, the hurt, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, jealousy, vanity; sin. He removes the stones out of our flesh and gives us a heart of flesh. He gives us a new heart and puts a new spirit in us. (Ezekiel 36:26) He saturates our hearts with His Spirit, making our hearts soft, tender, and submitted to His will.
Sometimes in the beginning stages of growth weeds will spring up like impatience, discouragement, and doubt. These weeds come to choke the life out of us while we’re in our waiting period. These weeds must be pulled up before they get too big and they must be pulled up from the root. These weeds cause us to doubt God but we must be convinced that He who has promised is faithful to do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Be assured that with God waiting is not passive. Even what seems like stagnancy is God causing our roots to grow deeper in Him. This causes a deeper dependency on Him and makes us to be one with Him. Then we are fully pleasing to Him because our faith is uplifted.
Always be mindful that just because you don’t “see” any results does not mean anything isn’t growing. During this time of breaking and dying to ourselves we may not see the fruit of our labor, no signs of growth, nothing moving, and no fruit. But know this, God is doing His best work now. For example, when seeds are planted in soil we can’t see them. They must take root first. Once the seeds take root eventually you’ll see a sprout breaking through the soil. I encourage you to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Growth is taking place. He is preparing you, developing your character, and getting you to a place of total submission, humility and maturity in Christ. Being rooted and grounded in God, in His Word, being faithful and obedient are necessary nutrients needed for the soil of our hearts producing breakthrough.
Know that God’s plan for your life has not expired. Each step of obedience is significant no matter how small you think it is. It’s growth and God is pleased. Sometimes the way looks dim but when it does, look up. In due time, you will bloom where you are planted. The more we hope in God’s Word, strength, and His faithfulness the more our trust will grow. Let patience have its perfect work and be assured that if you diligently seek the Lord He will rain righteousness upon you producing fruit for His kingdom, for His glory.
