Gardeners can appreciate the availability of fresh produce in their own or shared garden patch. Picking a red ripe tomato off the vine brings mouth watering anticipation of its juicy flavor. It’s also just fun to watch them grow and ripen. My grandchildren love to spy out red tomatoes and ask if they can pick them for me! It’s a treasure hunt looking for cucumbers and zucchini under their canopy of leaves. Yellow summer zucchini are easy to spot.
All the produce inspired thoughts of canning and freezing. I pulled out well worn recipe books and Penn State’s guides to preserving. Since I have harvested lots of cucumbers recently, I finally decided to can dill pickles and pickle relish. I had already canned crispy pickles and refrigerator cucumber with onion and carrots. I looked at the recipes and decided on a sweet relish which looked simple. Then I needed some red and green peppers and onions which were waiting in the garden! A large green pepper was gradually turning red and when I checked it I decided it was great to use for the relish..
As I was cleaning and prepping the vegetables I thought about how the Word of God is like a garden full of fresh tasting food for our spirits. Just like I have to go to the garden and pick the produce, I have to open my Bible to read the words and receive the revelation from the Holy Spirit. As we read and meditate, we are preserving these eternal truths in our minds and hearts. My canned goods will be eaten this winter and give nourishment to our bodies. But the Words of life are eternal. We can access them in time of need!
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Psalms 119:89-90 Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created.
Matthew 24:35. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow,So the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. Isaiah 61:11
This year’s garden which I planted on March 9 and 12th. Potatoes, lettuce, spinach, snap peas and radishes. The stakes at the end of the rows are the only indication that something has been planted.
Every year the garden is like a blank slate. The bare soil is devoid of life except the very early chickweed which is always seeking to take over the garden. I think it so interesting how the Bible often speaks of how seeds and soil are meant to produce growth and makes an application to a spiritual truth.
The Lord God is the one who desires to see righteousness and praise to come forth from His people. Righteousness will rain down from heaven from the clouds above and He declares for the earth to open wide and let salvation spring up and righteousness flourish with it! { Isaiah 45:8}
What is our part in this process? Looking at the natural, we need to prepare the soil and plant the seed. In many places the seed is already there, like grass and wildflowers waiting for the ideal conditions.
Three captivated onlookers watching Grandpa till the furrows made by the fall plowing.
In a cultivated garden, the ground needs to be prepared. My hardworking husband tilled the plowed furrows from last fall so the soil would be smooth and even. Then the area needed to be raked to clear it of small rocks and debris. Seeds need to be covered with soil and not rocks.
Spiritually the Word gives us examples of preparation. For instance, John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus. In the gospel of Mark, he was preaching a baptism of repentance. John 1 says he came as a witness about the Light. It was allowing the hearers to have the soil of their hearts prepared for what Jesus said and did. It gave an expectation even before they saw it.
How do we prepare our hearts for the next season of what the Holy Spirit is doing? We are certainly in a time of change from our ‘normal’ lives! Maybe you are wondering what is God doing. What should I be doing to prepare for this next season? Do I have a blank slate waiting for ground preparation and seed planting?
Even after the garden is planted there is still waiting time. I was so excited in early March to plant my first seeds and potatoes in the garden. We had warm days and the soil was in an ideal condition for planting. But after three weeks, there was still no evidence of green life. As I waited for signs that my seeds had sprouted I questioned; Did I plant too early? Will the seeds rot with all the rain and cool weather?
That is where faith in God’s word comes into focus. Another chapter in Isaiah mentions about seed producing a harvest. It is related to the word of God which goes forth and accomplishes what God desires and achieves the purpose for which it is sent. { Is 55:11} Planting the seed of the Word never goes out of season!
I was reading this in II Timothy 1 this morning…..For God delivered us, saved us, called us with a holy calling-a life set apart-a life of purpose. Not because of our works or personal merit but because of His own purpose and grace which was granted to us in Christ Jesus.
In this season, what challenges and opportunities are you facing? What seeds from the Word has God given you faith to plant. What is in your heart? What is in your hand? For the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations!
A garden from a previous year gives me hope that the earth will bring forth what is planted in it! But each season the blank slate produces a different picture.
Gardeners can appreciate the availability of fresh produce in their own or shared garden patch. Picking a red ripe tomato off the vine brings mouth watering anticipation of its juicy flavor. It’s also just fun to watch them grow and ripen. My grandchildren love to spy out red tomatoes and ask if they can pick them for me! It’s a treasure hunt looking for cucumbers and zucchini under their canopy of leaves. Yellow summer zucchini are easy to spot.
