ARE YOU WILLING?

“When the farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? Isiah 28:24 ESV

Have you ever passed a barren field where nothing seems to be growing? The field often looks sad, dry, and ugly! You may wonder, “Who would want to work in that field? What could possibly grow there?”

Have you ever felt fruitless or empty inside?  Has this feeling of despair caused you to be stuck, thinking there’s no way anything of true value could grow in your “field”?

Now envision a simple farmer.   Consider the hard work and dedication it takes to wake up early, head out into the hot field where nothing seems to be, and dig, pluck, water and seed…toiling and tilling the soil all day, every day.

It may not be pretty to look at, YET…but the farmer gets up early and has a vision of what his field will look like one day. His vision is one of a beautiful field where healthy crops grow tall and full, providing for the farmer and his family, as well as for those who eventually may be fed from the harvest.

Are you willing to yield yourself to God for such great yet painful work?  Are you open to say, “Lord have your way!”  Or, are you fearful to “let go” and trust the Lord’s plan, allowing a deeper work to take place? 

Say "Yes, please mold and shape me to be more like You. YES, take me into my field where it is hot and painful, and pull out the weeds of untruth: fear of failure, fear of rejection, thoughts 'I’m not good enough', and 'what if...'”

The enemy sabotages our fertile fields with lies that have been rooted deep within our souls, some since we were little children.  Say “YES, I’ll be Your farmer, Lord!”  Allow Him to pull these deep lies out.  Allow Him to pluck and dig deep in your field.  Be patient with the process, and be willing and open to do the hard work. 

Trust the Lord in His vision of your field, and you will experience true growth and abundance in the Lord.

“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets so that he may run that reads it for still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow “wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

Habakkuk 2: 2-4 ESV

Prayer for today:

Jesus, remind us of who we are in You, Lord, as we ask you to dig, pluck and pull out these untruths in our hearts.  Set us free from ourselves, breaking the lies that we have believed about ourselves, You, and others. Remind us of your promises…that we are loved beyond measure, valued beyond our comprehension, accepted and secured.  In Jesus, precious name, Amen.

Scripture truth: “See, I have engraved you in the palm of my hand.” –IS 49:16

-Elizabeth Bowman