We have been experiencing summer in full swing in Sydney, and areas of our lawn without shade have begun to dry out. Though the Sir Walter turf is very hardy, additional water is needed at times to keep it green and growing. It took me mowing and edging to notice the dusty and dry condition of the lawn. It's funny, isn't it? I look across our green lawn every day, but it isn't until I tend to it that I notice areas of neglect which escaped notice. Yesterday I spent a good half-hour watering the lawn and offering my skin to thirsty mosquitoes (I found this out later). The soil was so dry it took a while before the water penetrated the surface. A large portion of the turf slopes down to the street so it was necessary to water above the area I wanted to soak because of the water runoff. Thirsty and dry as the soil was, it was like it was incapable to drink the water in.
As I stood watering, it occurred to me dryness is one of the reasons soil is aerated from time to time. Sun-hardened soil and roots packed tightly together do not allow water or fertiliser to adequately penetrate. To aerate a machine with sharp teeth pulls plugs out of the soil, and this stimulates growth by ensuring water and nutrients are able to soak in beneath the surface. As Jesus compared the condition of human hearts into various soil types in the Parable of the Sower, this sun-baked ground was also instructive to me. Dry and thirsty souls are often incapable of receiving the Living Water God supplies through the Holy Spirit. God allows words and situations to cut us deep like the sharp teeth of an aerator so we will be receptive to His truth. He allows our hearts to be broken so He can graciously heal them.
Pain is an impetus to prayer. For those who have the Holy Spirit within us, pain breaks the fallow ground of our hearts and moves us to offer petitions, requests, and praise to God we wouldn't be mindful of otherwise. I find physical pain wakes me up and helps me rise in the mornings for prayer when I might be tempted to remain in bed for a few more minutes. When we perceive danger to ourselves or others we pray fervently and more diligently. All the while God rains His grace, love, and truth upon our hearts, stirring us to consider Him in our pains. God breaks us to restore and save. Financial ruin, marital woes, work and family conflicts have worked salvation for many who have suffered such things, for it is often a heart painfully aerated by trials which is most receptive to God and spiritually refreshed in the end. The pierced heart is a soft one, divinely prepared for fresh growth.
Friend, are you dry? Perhaps you haven't invited the LORD to search your heart for a while. God invites you to come to Him as it written in Isaiah 55:1, "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." We are perpetually thirsty, but Jesus is able to satisfy what this world cannot. He said to a Samaritan woman in John 4:13-14, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." He is our Source; He is our life. Those who are thirsty need never be thirsty again, for Jesus provides eternal life.
As I stood watering, it occurred to me dryness is one of the reasons soil is aerated from time to time. Sun-hardened soil and roots packed tightly together do not allow water or fertiliser to adequately penetrate. To aerate a machine with sharp teeth pulls plugs out of the soil, and this stimulates growth by ensuring water and nutrients are able to soak in beneath the surface. As Jesus compared the condition of human hearts into various soil types in the Parable of the Sower, this sun-baked ground was also instructive to me. Dry and thirsty souls are often incapable of receiving the Living Water God supplies through the Holy Spirit. God allows words and situations to cut us deep like the sharp teeth of an aerator so we will be receptive to His truth. He allows our hearts to be broken so He can graciously heal them.
Pain is an impetus to prayer. For those who have the Holy Spirit within us, pain breaks the fallow ground of our hearts and moves us to offer petitions, requests, and praise to God we wouldn't be mindful of otherwise. I find physical pain wakes me up and helps me rise in the mornings for prayer when I might be tempted to remain in bed for a few more minutes. When we perceive danger to ourselves or others we pray fervently and more diligently. All the while God rains His grace, love, and truth upon our hearts, stirring us to consider Him in our pains. God breaks us to restore and save. Financial ruin, marital woes, work and family conflicts have worked salvation for many who have suffered such things, for it is often a heart painfully aerated by trials which is most receptive to God and spiritually refreshed in the end. The pierced heart is a soft one, divinely prepared for fresh growth.
Friend, are you dry? Perhaps you haven't invited the LORD to search your heart for a while. God invites you to come to Him as it written in Isaiah 55:1, "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." We are perpetually thirsty, but Jesus is able to satisfy what this world cannot. He said to a Samaritan woman in John 4:13-14, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." He is our Source; He is our life. Those who are thirsty need never be thirsty again, for Jesus provides eternal life.
Awesome analogy thanks Ben.
ReplyDeleteGod calls us to break up our fallow ground in [Hosea 10:12] Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For [it is] time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
While God provides the rain, the sunshine, and the aerator/plough, we have some responsibility for breaking up our own fallow ground. "Break up your fallow ground". For the aerating and ploughing effect of God's word to work I/we must be open to letting that happen - as painful as it is. By not letting that breaking happen, my heart is considered hardened.
Continuing on the analogy of agriculture, and reading v.13, if I have sown in our flesh by trusting in my own way and strength, I will reap iniquity. The consequences of letting weed seed take hold must manifest as weeds. It is up to me how much pain it will cause to pull them out. The longer I wait to deal with an issue, the deeper the roots and the more painful it is to pull them out.
[Hosea 10:13 NKJV] You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men.
Thanks for sharing PJ! Thanks for sharing thise scriptures, so relevant.
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