Planting, Then Waiting

My pastor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, had an intense dislike for waiting in any line. The reason it bothered him so much is because he felt like he could be using the time he spent waiting to be doing something productive for the kingdom of God. However, he was not an impatient man when it came to receiving anything from the Lord. Dr. Sumrall recognized that God does not do things the way we do, and His timetable is often different than ours—sometimes significantly so.

James 5:7 says, “Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Notice how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until he receives the early and late rain.”

Hebrews 6:11-13 says, “We desire that every one of you show the same diligence for the full assurance of hope to the end, so that you may not be lazy, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Farming is a fascinating occupation. There is probably never a day when a farmer doesn’t have something to do, whether it is maintaining or repairing equipment, preparing or harvesting crop fields, or tending to the many and varied needs of livestock of all kinds. However, there are times when a farmer can do nothing but wait—and that is after he (or she) has been involved in the fast and sometimes frantic activity of planting.

It takes time for the seed, the soil, and the sun to do their unseen and secretive work below the surface of the ground. Even though the result is part of a natural process put in place by the Creator at the dawn of human history, it still seems miraculous to anyone who has the least bit of wonder about the natural world in which we live.

Before long, if conditions were right during planting, and if conditions remain right after planting, hopeful signs begin to emerge. Small green shoots start poking up through the soil. They are not the harvest, but they are surely a hopeful harbinger of a harvest to come.

The farmer does not wail in despair as he waits. He exercises patience. He knows that once the seed is in the ground, matters are for the most part out of his control. There is very little he can do to influence the outcome. The one thing he can do is to be patient—the quality of remaining quietly hopeful, regardless of what is seen or remains unseen.

Eventually, after the plants have grown to a certain maturity, the soil can be cultivated to reduce weed growth. Weed treatment can be applied if it is needed. In some regions, irrigation can provide necessary water. But ultimately, the outcome depends upon the seed, the soil, and the sun.

Many of us have sown a significant seed during this recently completed resurrection season. We have given, not just an ordinary seed, but our best seed. The soil has been prepared by forty days of prayer and fasting. The light and warmth of God’s word have been applied. What is needed now for all those who are expecting a harvest is the same thing that the farmer needs after sowing his fields—patience.

Patience is that fruit of God’s Spirit that always remains in the same posture of hope and expectation regardless of what external circumstances may come. The sun may hide behind thick clouds of steel gray. Warmth may give way to cold winds of adversity. There may be either no rain of refreshing at all, or too much, leading to flooding and potential disaster. Through it all, the sower trusts God, and is not moved from his or her expectation of a supernatural harvest.

When I think about this, I am reminded of another incredible influence in my life as a young pastor—Dr. Norvel Hayes. He was a Bible teacher and businessman who was full of wisdom that was as simple as it was practical. One of the things he said to me that I will never forget was: “If you get in a hurry, you will miss God every time.” It is as true now as it was when I first heard it spoken.

There are some things you can do while waiting. You can continue to declare the word of God over your seed and over the harvest you expect to come from that seed. You can refuse doubt by focusing on what God has already said instead of what all your feelings, and friends, and family members say. You can also decide to consistently ignore all the negative information that tries to bombard you from the so-called news media, the internet, and the blogosphere.

Here are a few scriptures to help you as you embark on your journey of patience.

Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you: Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men give unto you. For with the measure you use, it will be measured unto you.”
Mark 10:29-30: “Jesus answered, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left a house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, who shall not receive a hundred times as much now in this age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecution, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Mark 4:8: “And other seed fell on good ground, and it yielded grain that sprang up and increased by thirty, sixty, or a hundred times as much.”
Philippians 4:19: “But my God shall supply your every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
2 Corinthians 9:10-11: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and supplies bread for your food will also multiply your seed sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. So you will be enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which makes us give thanks to God.”

It is my privilege to believe God with you as you stand in faith believing for a supernatural harvest on the seed you have sown. Keep in mind, however, that these principles will work for whatever you sow, whenever you sow it. At all times and in all circumstances, remember what James 1:4 says: “But let patience perfect its work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Yours for the Harvest,

Dr. Rod Parsley

Founder & General Overseer