The Seed Sower

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

The above is from 2nd Chronicles, chapter 7. Kind of a favorite verse of mine, a popular verse, you see it around allot. This has been the verse most on my mind and heart these past couple of days so I figured as always that’s what I’ll open with tonight. Now it might take on a slightly different meaning coming from a farmers angle compared to the general population’s take on it. I guess there’s a slightly different lifestyle in farming compared to most others. Being a farmer means being dependant on God, whether admitting it or not. Its much more apparent than, say, being dependant on a boss, an owner of a company, or a corporation or government. In farming if it don’t rain it doesn’t matter what a person did, it doesn’t matter how high class the seed and the methods, it will be a disaster without heat and rain.

Farmer’s can be the most forgetful folks in the world at times. As a rule most farmer’s go to church in this region, I said most but not all. One thing that disturbs a fella is the fact that even when most of the farmer’s go to church here and there, there is very little credit given to God when things go good. Then its mostly bragging on the farmer’s superior ability to grow such good crops. Nothing takes a person’s mind off of God faster then prosperity I have found. Get a dry spell and then there’s services and masses for rain all over the place, but very seldom a thanksgiving service for a good rain or a bumper crop. That’s when we come in and take the credit.

I don’t judge, but I do observe, and I am so thankful to God every day for the blessings He sends our way. And them blessings can come in a form that for sure a person cannot take credit for. Over the past few years I’ve documented several times where there were down right miracles in our life. Nothing we did what so ever, but God answered prayers so desperately needed. As these years have gone by and a person starts to notice the small and some not so small workings of God there comes a time when he knows there’s no way out. There’s no way that I can take the credit for what’s happening.

So, as the verse above says, if believers will humble themselves, pray and seek His face, turn from their wicked ways, then God WILL hear from heaven and WILL forgive their sin and heal their land! That’s a promise from God, a God who’s promises are good and true. This verse can be used on a national scale, and its used that way allot for talking about turning a country around, but I’m not touching that at all tonight. Its down to the grass roots level I’m talking about. Besides if its not in the roots first it ain’t going to do the big plant a lick of good. In America I’m beginning to believe we have made a religion where we figure our government should be the thing leading the way as far as Christianity and morals. A nice thought, but totally upside down. It has to start and be strengthened from the roots.

I see this very thing happening in the country of South Africa. A basically communist government, about the same as where ours is rapidly heading, has taken God out of everything in public society. But there’s a huge revival going on over there, huge! But its coming from the grass roots, not the top. Its coming through farmers and when I observe the happenings over there with the internet I’m totally amazed to say the least. This is huge! How is it revival has started so huge in a country where God was taken out of almost everything, same as ours? Quite simply, because the people are humbling themselves and turning to God, not to a man made government. In America we had better wake up and realize that the government is not going to be changed one bit by a political party, any of them. Things have to change in our families and homes, farms and ranches, workplace and offices. One person at a time from the bottom up. In American religion, and yes I sure do call it that, we feel that our government is the one to do the sweeping reforms needed to get back on course, and church folks sit back and complain when it don’t happen. We look to the past, to writings and things from long ago showing how different leaders followed God and ran the nation. We wish they’d be like that now, but its wishful thinking.

It starts with us, with our families, with our neighbors. This is why over the past few years I’ve gradually went the direction of farming for Jesus! I truly can see no other way to live the life that our Lord has given me. I like the phrase, “Farming God’s Way”. And I will say that things are becoming an adventure around here. As mentioned in the previous post, we are in contact with a fairly large amount of people because of direct marketing our beef. In the next two weeks the very first edition of our newsletter is coming out, (I finally figured that program out on this here computer), and the name of the little publication will be “The Seed Sower”.

I’ve found that when a person is farming for Jesus a funny thing happens. He can’t shut up about all that the Lord is doing in his life. That’s the case here, it works on a person, gets into the very marrow of your bones and it has to be released or else a person will go stark raving nuts! To me this is the joy of my life, to spread the Word about our Saviour!