“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:9-10 NLT)
I’m not a gardener by any means, but my wife and I have done a lot of planting, mostly flowers, yard plants, and small trees. There are a few things you learn quickly. First, seeds don’t become plants or flowers overnight. We prepare the soil, then there is a period of waiting while you water, weed, and do your best to keep the ground free of anything that would hinder that seed from producing the intended result.
It’s fun waiting for the first signs of life, then every Spring waiting to see which of the plants survived the winter and are flowering and the trees budding. It’s a process that takes time and effort, but one that pays very rich dividends as your yard comes to life in such beautiful ways.
On many levels it’s like that in our life as a believer. There are seasons of “planting,” beginning from the moment the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart. Then, as the Lord seeks to build us up in Him, He plants new ideas, disciplines us, and weans us from wrong motives, attitudes, or behaviors that are clearly not Christlike.
The same principle is true in prayer. Pastor Rick Warren writes: “This is the law of the harvest: There is always a delay between sowing and reaping. You plant in one season, and you reap in another. God wants to see if you’re going to keep cultivating, planting, and sowing. If he sees consistency in your life, then the harvest will come. But it won’t come immediately, because if it did, there would be no chance for your character to grow or for your faith to stretch. Luke 18:1 tells us that we ‘must always pray and never lose heart’” (PHILLIPS).
Praying can seem monotonous and repetitive when praying for the same person(s) or things repeatedly, but on some levels it’s not unlike watering the ground where you’ve planted seeds. You may not see anything for days, weeks, months or in some cases, at least as it relates to prayer, years. I remember going to the altar nearly every Sunday morning to pray for my lost parents.
There was an old saint who would come out of the choir to pray with me. His name was Les Moore. He worked with my dad, and he knew why I was praying. For months we agreed in prayer that the Lord would move on my mom and dad’s heart and draw them to Himself.
Then one Sunday they came to church with me, and it wasn’t many Sundays after that that they knelt together at an altar of prayer and gave their lives to Jesus. They followed the Lord in water baptism and remained faithful until the Lord called them home. James MacDonald wrote: “Every good thing God wants to give to you comes through faith.”
I realize that some who read these blog posts have been praying for years, as have I, for their child(ren), grandchildren, parents, husband, wife, co-worker, neighbor, and on and on it goes – the people in our spheres of influence who need to yield their life and allegiance to Jesus. Don’t despair man of God! Don’t despair woman of God! God is hearing you and is using your faithful prayers to build faith in you in ways you may not realize until that day you stand before your Lord in heaven.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 