What Is In Your Hand?

I used to hang out with my dad and watch him as he gardened. He was a master gardener! I remember watching him sow the seeds of tomatoes, corn, beans, and so much more. He did not know if each seed would produce a plant and if that plant would produce any fruit, but still, he sowed with hope.

This morning I read Matthew 13:1-23, the parable of the sower. There are times that God just keeps putting something into our hearts to meditate on. This time is no different.

Think of a seed. It holds so much potential life. In that little seed is the possibility of a harvest. In this parable, the seed is the Word of God. Matthew 13:3 says, “The farmer went out to sow his seed…” It doesn’t say the farmer thought about sowing his seed, but did nothing. Or that the farmer wondered if his seed had any potential. Or that the farmer compared his small amount of seed to others’ larger amounts of seed. Or that he felt inexperienced because others knew so much more than He. Yes, this is a parable, a teaching Jesus used to illustrate something important to His kingdom. And there were different kinds of ground, which represented people's hearts. Read it for yourself. But notice Jesus did not tell us how the farmer felt—so that was not as important as the fact that the farmer simply sowed his seed. He sowed in faith. He sowed in hope.

What have been our experiences with God and His Word? This is what we hold in our hands as seed. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word is God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. It is pure power. So we must cast our seed upon others’ hearts, no matter if their hearts are hard or soft. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to work that Word out in their hearts. And it’s also up to them to respond. We are simply the farmers that cast the seed onto their hearts in faith and hope.

Remember the day or season when others did the same for you? Aren’t you grateful they did? I am. Don’t look at your inexperience; look at what you do know. If it’s John 3:16, that’s the gospel! Don’t let anything keep you from casting the powerful seed of God’s Word into lives. James 1:21 says the Word planted in us can save us. Save us from hell, save us from fear, save us from strongholds, save us from condemnation, save us from our own flesh. It is powerful.

Humbly sow your seed. Pray. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Sow it in love. Believe in God and the power of His Word. God’s looking for a harvest from our seed. What God’s done in our lives is to be sown into others, no matter their response. We can be sure God’s doing something on the inside; we simply may not ever see it for ourselves while living here on planet Earth. It may be that we are a part of the process that God uses to draw them to Him. We are called to sow. God can’t bring an increase in the soil of human hearts if the seed is still in our hands.

Afterthought: I can still picture the tall rows of corn and healthy tomato plants in my childhood yard, all from those tiny seeds planted by my dad. There’s just nothing like fresh corn on the cob and garden tomatoes, is there? Wonder if he realized he knew the real power of a seed…Missing him right about now.