“Give ear, and hear my voice;
give attention, and hear my speech.
Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
When he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
and put in wheat in rows
and barley in its proper place,
and emmer as the border?
For he is rightly instructed;
his God teaches him.
Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
Does one crush grain for bread?
No, he does not thresh it forever;
when he drives his cart wheel over it
with his horses, he does not crush it.
This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
he is wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.” Isaiah 28:23-29
Understanding crops was second nature to an agrarian society. To give ear and pay attention was a call to go deeper and grasp yet another layer of meaning in this normal rhythm of life. Ah, an all-wise God created every nuance and lesson for observation and experience in His majestic world! His design incorporated seasons for planting, sowing, reaping, and crushing, all so His every purpose was fulfilled. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
“Give ear! Give attention! Much is to be learned from the condition and order and timing of ground and seed. There are specific characteristics the Lord would have uprooted, and others He desires to grow. There are stones of rebellion and thorns of worldly distraction to be removed from our inner self. There are hard places of shame and stubbornness that need the softening of forgiveness and kneading by the Spirit. By God’s mercy He plants seeds of different spiritual fruit to nurture and harvest over time, gracious time. When we encounter strange and painful seasons, consider the hand and mind of God.
We must remember that the One who is excellent in wisdom knows what He is doing. He determines our days and boundaries for His eternal purposes. He will not require or crush beyond what He will provide or we can bear. He is also wonderful in counsel, and will impart to us the insight, fortitude, and grace to handle each season as He orders its variety and measure. He knows the way we take, be it long, languishing, sorrow-filled, or hopeful, and is working in and through it for great good and bountiful fruit. (Job 23:10; Acts 17:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 4:15-16)
How aware are we of the exquisiteness of our day to day dealings, that each plays a part in God’s whole plan? Are we given so much to planting and reaping, doing and pushing, that we eschew any harrowing, pruning, resting, or threshing? Do we not see that every season in our lives is meant for our sanctification, not only the easy, or successful, or pleasant ones? How attuned are we to learning from the difficult times of long waiting or loneliness, or the crushing times of grind or grief? What fruit of deep intimacy with Him, or comfort, or compassion, have we borne? The Lord of hosts does all things well.
Father, help me yield to Your seasons and intentions in such a way that yields spiritual fruit and Your magnified glory.
As the rain and snow 