Every spring, I plant a small vegetable garden. Nothing fancy, but the soil does yield a modest crop of carrots, green beans, zucchini, and tomatoes. It’s always a joy to plant seeds, water them, and, with any luck, watch them sprout and grow. A garden of any kind requires a moderate dose of love and care, water and sunshine, weeding, and pruning. If the plants fail to receive any one of these things, they will not grow and prosper the way they should.
The success of my garden also depends on the quality of my soil—that if I don’t fertilize, I notice the plants are smaller and less robust. Yup, here’s the faith analogy that I suspect you knew was coming. If I don’t read my Bible every day, pray, or spend quiet time with God, my faith won’t grow, and the peace that God wants me to experience erodes. And let’s face it, life these days is filled with experiences that are capable of challenging our faith and stealing our peace.
Out of curiosity, I searched for bible verses about gardening and faith. One verse that stood out to me is from the book of Isaiah: “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11NIV)
My daughter recently texted me a lovely photograph of carrots that came from her garden. I could not help but think about how well-watered seeds and good soil will bear fruit, or in this case, carrots—which leads me to a confession. There are days when I do not pick up my bible and ‘fertilize’ my soul with God’s word. Sometimes I am so filled with worries and concerns that I tend to push God aside when I should be running towards him to strengthen my frame and satisfy my needs, as mentioned above. My faith won’t grow and flourish and be ready for any sort of divine harvest if I don’t work at it.
There is another comforting bible verse in Jeremiah:: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT)
Bottom line, my friend, and I say this directed to myself as well—it’s vital that we stay rooted in Jesus and place all of our hope and confidence on Him. We can’t expect deep roots of faith if we don’t make a concerted effort to draw close to the One person who can sustain us through any drought that life throws at us.
So, if you’re game, I’ll grab my watering can, and you grab your bible. Let’s grow together!
Paul Smyth
