Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.—Hosea 10:12 NKJV
I’ve been studying the book of Hosea and God’s message to the nation of Israel symbolically and dramatically demonstrated by the prophet.
Although today’s scripture is an agricultural language, but when we apply it to our life, it speaks about the condition of our heart requiring renewal.
In agricultural terms, a fallow ground is a soil that has been left uncultivated for a long period of time, which can be quite hard, and unproductive. Spiritually, it’s those areas of our life or parts of us we’ve allowed to go untouched or we have cleverly hidden from the world’s scrutiny. Habits, actions, attitudes and behaviours we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s okay and acceptable, and where we’ve stopped examining them to make the necessary amends.
Breaking up the fallow ground of our heart will not be easy; it will require effort and hard work. It can be quite uncomfortable considering it’s a condition we’ve allowed to persist for a long period of time. But it is necessary because it’s the only way we can make room for new planting, growth and harvest. It is about choosing actions, habits, behaviours and attitudes that align with God’s character. It’s the deliberate and hard work of planting what we want to harvest later.
Right from the Garden of Eden, man has always wanted to live independent of God. You hear people say, “It’s my life and I choose to live it the way I see fit.” In the words of the song “Find in Me” the songwriter says:
They say it doesn’t matter what you do
For as long as it makes you feel good
Live your life the way as it pleases you
All the enemy want is to trap you into a false state of freedom and independence. Frankly speaking, it’s because of this so called “freedom and independence” that the world is in the mess that it is in today. I think we can confidently say that we have not done a good job of the freedom and independence we have!
God is for us, and not against us. His laws and commandments may seem to interfere with our freedom of choice but it’s for our benefit that He gave us His laws.
God has been using and still uses world events to get people’s attention, for them to make wise decisions, to seek and follow Him. The time to seek the Lord is now, not tomorrow, not when you’re settled or when life is good. The urgency is not based on fear but an opportunity to experience the love, mercy and grace of God.
“Till He comes and rains righteousness on you” — As we make the soil of our heart ready, God is waiting to release showers of blessings on us. Not rain of judgment but of righteousness, renewal, restoration and bountiful harvest.
Happy Easter and stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 