The seeds of faith

The ground prepared

 And He also said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed 
upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the

Unexpected growth

seed sprouts and grows, though he does not

Extraordinary growth

 know how."

Jungle growth

These are the photographs taken from my friend Pam's garden which represent:   Mark  4::26-27

In deciding to have a bigger patio and change the look of the garden Pam had her husband prepare the ground by digging the soil over.  June was rather a wet month, so they waited a couple of weeks in the hope of better weather.  By July they had the unexpected growth of plants they'd put into the garden many years before but, at that time, 'didn't come to much'. 

Seeing pretty flowers appearing on the foot high plants they decided to leave them  By August they were about three foot high and with extraordinary growth spreading across the garden. By September the plants had grown taller than her 5ft 3 inches.  When she told me what had happened I thought she was exaggerating, for I'd no idea plants could grow so quickly.  But then she sent me the photos of her  jungle growth. 
 
In this I feel God has a message for all His people which goes beyond Pam's astonishment at such unexpected growth.  She has been an intercessor for more than forty years, she's been diligent in faith, and sown the seeds of salvation into many lives, taught God's Word, and pastored many.  I felt through her garden the Lord wanted to show her that nothing she'd said or done had rotted or died.  That seeds of His life sown from His people across the years, centuries even, were about to germinate and spring into new life.  And we would all be astonished by the unexpected and accelerated growth when these seeds germinated and came into the knowledge of the Father's heart for them.  And, as if to confirm that, in the last two years across this land, there have been pockets of people finding the way, the truth and life in Jesus, which started through an outreach in Reading called, 'The Turning'!

I have sensed for the last few months that God is turning over the soil in my life. Some things He has unearthed have been positive, but there are old roots of behaviours, mindsets and attitudes that I need to remove before the garden of my heart is ready for old seeds to bring forth new life.  When the time is right I believe,  just as He provided the right conditions and atmosphere for the seeds in Pam's garden to become plants, plants to become bushes and bushes become trees,  He will do the same, in my life, and the lives of others, who over years have sown seeds that 'didn't come to much'.

It's time for the harvest, not just for the hopes, promises and dreams in our lives, but for those seeds we have sown by our words, be it speaking or writing about God's love, joy, peace.  Those scattered seeds which landed in stony soil, are about to be turned over and find a fertile place to germinate. And, in the right conditions will have accelerated growth, flowering, growing, re-seeding, producing further crops to  spread and grow. 

Ruth Johnson