Farms

When Lightning Strikes

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark.                     Job 36:32 ESV

Having worked another long day outside with temperatures flirting with one hundred degrees, we were enjoying the little bit of rain that the breeze wafted our way as we sat on the front porch. Then that wonderful stillness was interrupted by the horrible crash of a thunderbolt that landed just a few yards away on the other side of the dirt road. We sat in shock for a moment and then we started laughing in relief as the geese over in the cow pasture honked in loud and angry protest.

brown and beige wooden barn surrounded with brown grasses under thunderclouds

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The terrible thing about lightning is that it wakes us up to just how vulnerable we are. Car accidents, break-ins, doctor’s reports and family crisis hit at times when we least expect. But the hope that our scripture today gives is that God is ultimately in control. He holds the power of the lightning in His hands and He is the one who commands where it will strike.

God knows not only when and where the lightning will strike but even when each sparrow falls. He has marked His calendar for how long our life on earth is to be. So we must decide if we will honk in angry protest when thunder crashes all around or we can rejoice in God’s mercy and grace. He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die in our place so we can praise the one who will keep us safe in every storm!

Plow up those Fields

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Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12 KJV

“Fallow comes from the old English word for plowing, and refers to the practice of leaving fields unplowed in rotation––when a field lies fallow, the soil regains nutrients that are sucked up by over-planting.”  Vocabulary.com

One temptation I face as I grow older is to abandon some of the fields in my life. There are some fields that have so long been unproductive that it scarcely seems worth the effort to continue to hope for any sort of fruitful harvest. But God has an entirely different idea. God says that today is the exact perfect time to stop moping around the house, get the plow out of the barn and break up my fallow ground.

Do you have some fallow fields in your life? There is nothing wrong with that but God has not created us to lie fallow forever. Maybe today your fallow time is coming to an end. Maybe it is time to hitch up the plow to the horse and get to work. There is still something that God has called for us to do. Do not be discouraged. Nothing will grow better crops than a field that has had time to rest for a while.  God has planned for and promised a harvest season ahead if only we plow up our fallow fields and then plant them today!

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Wild Flowers or Weeds?

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But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6:30 KJV

In the days before hay bales were 1,000 pound rolls we used to pile them on the hay wagon and stack them in the barn. My favorite job was to sit on the top of them bales as we the truck slowly chugged across the fields to the barn. The slight breeze felt deliciously cool against my face and the aroma of the freshly cut grass smelled like perfume. I remember looking down and seeing wildflowers of every imaginable shape and color. They were nestled in among the remnants of the hay showing off their beauty. That scene remains in my heart reminding me of God’s artistry in the simplest things. All around us He leaves behind reflections of His grace.

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Imagine now that this God, who has taken such care in each detail of a wild flower, has also made you and I. It may seem that the world passes us by, but instead of seeing flowers, they see us only as weeds. Weeds grow where they are not wanted and where no one has planted them. Maybe we ourselves pass by some people without noticing a single thing of beauty. But all around the world God’s wildflowers are on display to remind us that He is involved in every life and that every life has value.

Flowers are not concerned that their time here is short, nor are they worried what others think. In the brief hours that God has given them they simply give all that they have. They are at peace knowing that the hand that crafted them will care for them. If days come in your life when everything seems dark, remember that as He cares for wildflowers. He will certainly care for you!