On the corner of 2nd Street and Vehslage Road here in Seymour, Indiana, there is a small field that I pass several times a day. I enjoy watching the seasonal progressions in that field throughout the course of the year. At the moment, the field is a barren wasteland. All that remains is the dead stubs of corn stalks from the previous year’s produce. But, soon and very soon, the farmer will begin the process of preparing the field and sowing new seeds.
Planting seed in a field is quite the enterprise. The farmer begins by plowing the field to soften the soil and remove any existing vegetation. Next, they often spread fertilizer to improve the fertility of the soil to increase the likelihood that the seed will take root and produce a full harvest. Finally, after thoroughly working and preparing the soil, the farmer will plant their seed, diligently covering the entire planting area with as many seeds as possible.
The farmer preps the ground and sows the seed, but once the seed hits the soil, it’s in God’s hands.
During the spring, the farmer puts in a lot of miles working that small field I pass every day. The planting process appears to be quite involved and to require a lot of work. Once the seed is in the ground, however, I won’t see my farmer friend around. The farmer surely monitors the progress of the plants, watering them when it is dry and perhaps spreading fertilizer a time or two. But really, once the seed is planted below the ground, what will grow is in the hands of the good Lord above. The farmers job is to sow; God is the One who makes it grow.
What is true in agriculture is also true in evangelism. Our job, as followers of Jesus, is to plant seeds of truth in the soil of human hearts, trusting God to cause it to take root and produce fruit. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-8, Paul writes, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who makes things grow.” The words of Jesus also reflect this truth in the Parable of the Sower/the Parable of the Soils found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The farmer preps the ground and sows the seed, but once the seed hits the soil, it’s in God’s hands.
Our job is to sow; only God can make it grow.
Throughout history, Christianity has had a really hard time with this. We’re all too happy to sow the seeds of truth, but if and when they don’t immediately and miraculously grow into full-fledged, fruit-producing plants we want to force the issue. But, that isn’t our responsibility nor is it helpful. Much like digging in the dirt around a freshly planted seed will do more to dislodge delicate roots and stifle growth, when we are overly aggressive with the truth and try to force people to receive and believe it we often create an inhospitable environment and dislodge the truth we’ve tried to plant. We need to plant the seeds and trust God to do what He alone can do.
We should take a cue from the farmer who works the field on 2nd and Vehslage. We should do our best to diligently prepare the proverbial soil, carefully plant the seeds of truth, then step back and wait for God to work as only He can in His time. Then, in due season, we can begin doing the work of gratefully receiving the harvest God provides. Our job is to sow; only God can make it grow.
