A few weeks ago, I went to Carlisle, Arkansas where my grandpa raised rice. This is one of his fields. Not only did this immigrant from Denmark learn to raise rice, but this is where he taught my dad to be an incredible farmer.

The soil, or as my dad affectionately called it, the ground, was to be cared for and managed. The soil is a giant storehouse for moisture. Right after harvest in the fall, he would plow or “open up” the ground so the winter rains would soak down deep. If you notice the picture, that practice seems to have lived on. My dad knew, come the hot & dry months of summer, the soybeans would need every bit of moisture the ground could store.

The ground is also the storehouse for the minerals (food) for the plant. Interestingly, these elements, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulfur along with Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Boron, Molybdenum, Chlorine, and Nickel found in the soil are essential for both plants & animals. Dwell on this fact from Genesis 2:19, “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky.” To sustain life plants & animals have common essential needs found in the ground. Only God!

I read Matthew 13:3-8, the Parable of the Sower, from a different perspective because of what my dad taught me. Jesus told the Parable, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

First, we learn from Luke 8:11-12, “The seed is the Word of God”. This is a special, life-giving seed. So why did the seed not work every time? I noticed right off the results were a factor of the conditions of the ground. Dad never just threw out seed and hoped for the best. A few weeks before the field was to be planted, we would use discs & harrows to pulverize the soil almost to powder. This was the “good soil.” Prepared soil would give the seed the best chance to thrive. Before we plant the seed of His Word, we must prepare our heart in prayer.

I start my prayer by reminding my heart of His Attributes. He is the Sovereign, Holy God. He is All-Powerful, All-Knowing… a Promise-Keeping Savior. I follow with thanking Him for His Mercy & Grace and repenting of my sins. Now, like the harrow that turns the ground into powder, I pray God’s own Word from Psalm 25:4-5, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” My focus needs to be His focus.

This preparation enables Deuteronomy 11:18-2, “Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder” to take effect. God gave us more instructions in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, “Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children.”

Farming is a process that takes time. Are you taking the time to prepare the soil, your heart, for the seed of His Word?