It was around 5 o’clock the afternoon I drove my tractor out of the field and pulled up to dad with my important question, “What time are we going to the house to eat?” My dad, a man of very few words, responded, “Do the lights on your tractor work?” He answered me with a question that was about something bigger than me. He knew about the coming storm. He knew if we did not get this field planted today/tonight, this 500-acre field would go unplanted…a loss for the year. We finished planting around 1:30 a.m. and went home. Around 8 a.m. that morning it started raining. We never would have been able to plant that field.

Here are the first two of four Life “Take Aways” from this Lesson From The Farm.

1. Life is more than just about me. I was hungry & tired. We had been in the field since 5:30 that morning. My temporary discomfort & inconvenience was nothing compared to the loss of not planting 500 acres of soybeans.

2. Dad knew more than me. Not only had my dad farmed for 50 years…he was a master farmer. My choice was either to trust and obey him or walk 7 miles home. It was not that he did not care. But feelings cannot be allowed to overpower the reality of the situation. The farm has no feeling. If you don’t plant…you don’t eat!

I think it’s important to note God started man’s great adventure in life on His Farm, the Garden of Eden. Jesus spoke many times about lessons from the farm. One of my favorites is found in John 4. It was hot and dry that day in Samaria. Jesus was at the well and asked for a drink of water from a person many would describe as a worthless Samaritan woman. But Jesus saw her as “valued.” There He was, hot & thirsty and planting the Seed of Hope. It was later when the Disciples arrived, we hear, “So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Sound familiar?

1. Listen to how Jesus responded to the question about his personal situation. In verse 34, Jesus responded with, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” This is the dominant Principle of the Life of Jesus, To do His Father’s Will, No-Matter-What the hardship or inconvenience. Because for Jesus, “Every Soul Matters To God!” What matters most to you?

2. I obeyed my dad because I trusted him. There were many times I didn’t like, understand, or even want to do what he asked of me, but I trusted him. Trust is the cornerstone of Jesus’ sinless life. He fully trusted & obeyed His Father. Listen to what Jesus said in John 6: 38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.” Are there areas of life you don’t fully trust Him? I think if you look closely at the areas of anxiety, worry & disobedience you will discover a trust issue. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Jesus, our Savior gave us this promise, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26. Isn’t it time you allowed Jesus to transform your fear to Faith?

Watch for Part 2 of “Do The Lights On Your Tractor Work?”