So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9

 

Have you ever lived through the water-rationing, dead plants and discouragement of a drought?

Brandt was a farmer who had labored three years into a devastating drought. The lack of rain meant that crops weren’t growing, and yet year after year, Brandt kept sowing his seeds, believing that one day that rain would come. And on that day, he’d be ready. When the rain finally came, Brandt had a field full of seeds ready to grow the desperately needed crops.

Sometimes, we experience seasons of drought in our lives– hardships that drag on. Financial struggles. The grief of a death. Loneliness. The pain of personally experiencing or walking with loved ones through depression, addiction, or difficulty. It’s easy to give up in seasons of struggle, ceasing to sow the seeds of hope. Maybe you stop sending out job applications or going to counseling. Perhaps you’re tempted to stop going to church or reading the Bible. Maybe you want to stop praying because that feels like sowing seeds in the desert.

Whatever those seeds of hope and faith are, God says, keep planting. Even when it feels like nothing is happening in the natural, God is moving beneath the surface and behind the scenes. The Bible book of Isaiah says, “Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, you work in mysterious ways” (Isaiah 45:15).

The Bible book of Galatians encourages us, saying, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9). When the rain finally burst out of the clouds drenching Brandt’s farm, he smiled, knowing he was ready.