Mark 4:26–29 (ESV)
The Parable of the Seed Growing
26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then
the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
This parable still holds up in today’s farming world, although this was
written in a world that did not use irrigation or tractors. They did use plows pulled by oxen and counted on God to provide the rain. Man did play a crucial role in the farming process. After all, he planted the seeds. After planting
them, he waited, counting on God to send the rain. When the harvest was ripe, man harvested the crop. It was God who provided the rain and the growth. Farmers today use irrigation to water and the use spray fertilizers and herbicides to protect
and help the crop. But God is still in control and can cause too much rain or unfavorable conditions. When it comes down to it, the crop still owes its growth to the power of God. The harvest here is not a cyclical harvest, but Judgement
Day.
I pray: O Lord, help me to plant the seeds of faith in this dark world, so that the lost can become saved. Help me to realize that saving the lost is the will of God. Help me to plant
those seeds and let you take care of the growth. Amen.