Who knew a simple phone call could bring with it a life-changing decision to be made? A choice that would either allow me to stay in my current place of comfort or alter the course of my future?
I answered the call with all the reluctance of a child jumping into deep water for the first time ever. I’d spoken to this woman before. Several times, in fact. I’d called her with questions about an area of ministry I had been exploring and praying about, and I knew she had years of experience there.
But I hadn’t yet made the decision to move in that direction.
Now here we were, having an unexpected conversation about an open door of opportunity. She knew about my interest, so she felt compelled to call and offer me the chance first.
And even though I’d spent years preparing my soil, I wasn’t ready to sow the seed.
In the verse above, the prophet Hosea brought a word of warning to the people of Israel. They’d let themselves get too comfortable in their sinful ways, and now it was time. Time to sow. Time to seek. Time to reap.
Fallow ground refers to ground that has been tilled and prepared for planting, but then left alone far too long. Because the preparations have been left unattended, the ground must be broken up and weeds removed before it is usable once again.
We can be like that too, can’t we?
We read our daily devotionals based on Bible stories.
We pray.
We ask God for guidance.
We study.
We memorize our favorite Scriptures.
But then when God brings opportunity our way, (when we least expect it,) we make excuses. We find reasons why we shouldn’t. We even convince ourselves God must’ve meant it for someone else. We prepare our hearts to receive, but then we don’t allow Him to move in our lives.
From God’s Word through Hosea, we find a valuable truth, one we should plant in our spirits for the coming year and beyond.
Once we've prepared our hearts, it's time to do what God has called us to do - seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 ESV says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Yes, it is so important to prepare. But we can’t stop there. If we don’t sow seeds of righteousness, our ground will become stale, stagnant.
When the phone call came that day, I had prepared my soil. I even found comfort in the safety of God’s promises and the peace of His presence, so much that I just wanted to linger there. But when opportunity came to jump into the deep water, I wasn’t ready to sow the seed. Instead, I left the soil to harden and grow weeds.
That was many years ago, and from that experience I learned how to seek Him without fear. Seek Him in all things. Seek Him, and know that everything else will fall into place.
We can have the same comfort and peace, even in the uncertainty of deep water, when we let go of reluctancy and do what God has called us to do.
May you continue to seek God fully in 2018. Your heart is prepared, now get ready to reap the harvest.
Blessings,
Kristine
