Getting it right
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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For they are well instructed; their God teaches them (Isaiah 28:26).
Read Isaiah 28:23–29
I’m intrigued by the language that the prophet uses in this text. We have crops being sown, scattered and planted. We distinguish between seeds, which are embryonic plants used for reproduction, and grain, which refers specifically to dry, edible seeds harvested from grasses for food. God teaches the farmer the right way to go about their work.
We can see God as the wise and practical farmer who knows what is best to do for each ‘seed’. God determines where the seed is planted, how it is tended, harvested and threshed. There are different methods for threshing and preparing the seeds and grains for use. It is important to use the right implement and process for each seed and grain.
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I were someone else, or somewhere else, or better looking, or wealthier, or … The list goes on. But deep down, I know that I need to ‘grow where I am planted’.
God has put us where we are for a purpose. God is wise and knows what is best for us. God has a plan for each of us, and because of God’s wisdom, we will not be tested beyond our endurance. We can put our trust in God, rejoice in the opportunities before us, and in the generous way God provides for us each and every day and the way God prepares us for what life brings us.
As part of God’s plan, each of us has a vocation, a calling – in our family and our friendship groups, in our working life, in our church and community, even into retirement. Why not take some time to reflect on where you are placed, who God is calling you to be and what God is calling you to do? God has planted you and me where we are. Let’s pray that we can be healthy plants in God’s garden, nurturing our faith and bringing God’s love to life.
God of wisdom and strength, you know who you want us to be. Help us to have faith in you so that we happily grow where we are planted, living our lives to your glory and to the good of those around us. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.
God’s words – our lives
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants (Deuteronomy 32:2).
Read Deuteronomy 32:1,2,45–47
Moses is addressing the children of Israel just prior to his death. He stresses the importance of the people’s commitment to the Lord in worship and in obedience to the law. Moses’ teaching is to be like rain, encouraging growth in new grass and young plants.
One of my favourite odours is that of petrichor – the smell that fills the air when rain hits the dry ground. In my mind, the teaching that the writer of Deuteronomy refers to is falling like rain – and like the beautiful odour of petrichor, the aroma of Christ fills the earth. ‘For we are like a sweet-smelling incense offered by Christ to God, which spreads among those who are being saved and those who are being lost’ (2 Corinthians 2:15).
Many of us have experienced the devastation that drought can cause. Devastation that causes heartache and can result in the loss of home and livelihood – sometimes it is the loss of a property that has been part of family history for generations. We know what it is like when there is no rain.
Over the past year, many have also experienced the destruction and challenges that come from too much rain, as floods wash everything away, leaving heartbreak and devastation behind. For some, the floods returned.
Thankfully, Jesus’ death and resurrection have taken away the condemnation of the Old Testament law. That way has been replaced by the importance of faith in God and love towards one another. We don’t have to be frightened of a harsh God who thunders down at us when we offend him. Rather, we have a Comforter who loves us and is with us always.
In the following chapter, we read: ‘The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms’ (Deuteronomy 33:27a). These are the words that fall like gentle rain on one’s soul when things go wrong; the words of a God to whom we can be totally committed in worship and obedience and whose loving and everlasting arms are always there for us.
God, our refuge and our strength, thank you that your loving arms are always there for us. Help us remember this, be committed to you in our worship and obedient to your law of love in our lives each day. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.
Consider the hollyhocks
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown (Matthew 13:8).
Read Matthew 13:1–9,18–23
Today’s reading reminds me of a picture that I have seen many times illustrating this story. It is of a man resting a basket on his hip. He is walking along a path and throwing seeds onto the ground. It’s quite a contrast to the large machinery used on farms these days, in which our paddocks are vast and trees are removed. Land is used efficiently, with efforts to ensure plenty of good soil is available for crops to thrive and for machinery to access it as it ploughs, sows and reaps.
I used to admire hollyhocks in other people’s gardens. Then some seeds arrived in our yard, and I welcomed the hollyhocks as they grew and flowered, bringing colour and height into our garden.
Hollyhocks have a very efficient seeding habit – all of those pretty flowers end up as seed pods, and hey presto! We now have hollyhocks popping up and growing throughout our backyard. They are growing in the lawn, in cracks in the cement – wherever they land, they seem to grow. I’ve also seen how they grow taller with the more rain we have.
The hollyhocks spread despite my lack of dedication to gardening. They arrived through no effort on my behalf – maybe through the good graces of a passing bird or a wind over which there is no control.
The seeds grow where they land – even when the environment provides minimal space or food. They adapt to their situation and grow, producing flowers and more seeds. Do you see the connection?
The spread of God’s word does not rely on my efforts. The Holy Spirit moves without any direction from me or you, working in people’s hearts and bringing them closer to God. Maybe our role is to encourage the spread of God’s word and of the good news of the gospel, which is a bit like a gardener preparing soil, fertilising, providing water in the dry season and doing everything to encourage plants to grow – rather than pulling them out of the ground or mowing over them, which may happen in our garden from time to time.
Holy Spirit, help us to do what we can to help – not hinder – the work that you do. Thank you for not being solely reliant on our efforts to bring God’s love to life. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.
