“Then He will give the rain for your seed With which you sow the ground, And bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed In large pastures.” Isaiah 30:23 NKJV
Reflection: why might God hold back blessings from our lives?
We’re experiencing “red flag” fire warnings across southern Oklahoma. This warning is from a dangerous combination of lack of rain, very dry conditions and high winds. Thousands of acres have already burned, and many have had to evacuate their homes. We realize quickly how dependent we truly are on the many blessings that come from rain. From water. In fact, it is amazing to see how quickly abundant life returns once the rain comes. And, each spring we reminded of the need for water to make anything grow. Just try to plant any seed. Without water, it will stay dormant in the ground. It is as if life exists in the water.
We are met today with this beautiful metaphor of water and abundant life in Isaiah 30:23, where “bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed In large pastures.” Isaiah 30:23b NKJV But, while we may plant seeds in our “fields”, notice that it is the Lord that will either hold back or will provide the rain, as we read “Then He will give the rain for your seed With which you sow the ground” Isaiah 30:23a NKJV. But did you see there was a small, conditional word in there, stating “Then”? Since we desire the Lord to bless, to give growth to the things we sow, what are His conditions for providing the rain?
Since “Then” is connecting the previous, we have to go backwards to what we looked at yesterday. In summary, it is twofold. First, it is choosing to follow the way of the Lord, and not our own “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21 NKJV. And secondly, to do away with idols of the world, “You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, And the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, “Get away!”” Isaiah 30:22 NKJV. The Lord says “Then” He will bless what we do, then He will bring the rain.
Most of us ask for the Lord to bless what we “sow”, the work of our hands. Whether at work, in our families, our churches and communities, etc, we ask Him to “bring the rain”. But, are we actually listening to Him first, committed to follow His ways, or are we pursuing our own “to the left or the right”? Let’s make sure we follow His ways, even when other ways look better in the moment. And, we need to identify and rid ourselves of anything in our possessions that even resemble idols. What would those look like in our lifetime, in our lives and homes?