Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
The sower sows on all kinds of soil. Some of it is ill-suited to the growth of plants. But what is the solution? It isn't so much repairing the soil of the path, the rocky soil, or the shallow soil. It is rather such a complete saturation with the seed that it will inevitably find places where it can grow and thrive. If we find shallow soil, let's not waste our time banging our shovels into the clay. Let's rather search for the places that are designed to receive the word. If we have a problem with impatience, with anger, or with lust, and we simply attempt to will those problems away we will likely be frustrated. Instead, when we find those problems we need to receive the LORD Jesus more deeply into the core of our beings. It is there, in the quiet of prayer, that he bears fruit in us.
Should you build me a house to dwell in?
We can't try to solve spiritual problems or offer spiritual worship according to our own designs and plans. We must rather receive them from the LORD. He is the one who supplies the seed. He is the one who provides the growth. We can be confident that, while we may contain some dry soil and some thorns, we also contain good soil into which offers the seed of his word. We just need to receive it. It is enough to even transform the surrounding soil, making springs out of what were once deserts. Even if the soil has only a few flowers growing through cracks in the concrete we don't need to get out the jackhammers. We can trust in the LORD for the transformation we need. He'll find just the place for the seeds. They'll grow up for underneath and dissolve the resistance within our hearts.
I will correct him with the rod of men
and with human chastisements;
but I will not withdraw my favor from him
We're worried that we aren't worthy of the seed or the growth. And we aren't. Even the best soil doesn't deserve any seed. But the gardener is pleased to sow. He delights to see us bear fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.
The game plan is to trust in God's love for us, rather than our own skill at gardening (or terraforming as the case may be).
Forever I will maintain my love for him;
my covenant with him stands firm.
I will establish his dynasty forever,
his throne as the days of the heavens.
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