Mark 4:26-29
The Parable of the Seed Growing
26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Nothing happens outside of God’s power and blessing. From the smallest creature to the greatest forces of the cosmos, God is the maker, creator and sustainer of all things. We confess this truth when, in the Apostles’ Creed, we confess, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth.”
In creating life, God shares His life with all things. Even in something as small as a seed, the miracle of life can only be characterized coming from God. Who can comprehend how such a small thing, could in the end result in a life sustaining crop for people. The seed and ground do this, as the text states, “all by itself.” No action of the farmer, other than planting the seed into the ground, can make things happen. God gives the growth.
It is humbling, and important, to remember that God is the one who gives the growth in all things. He has given us of HIs Divine life when he created us. But, like the farmer, the soil, and the seed, we have only a part of His plan. Our calling is to fulfill our calling faithfully and trust in Him to grant the growth. In that faithful waiting the miracles of God take place.
Jesus, after He had died on the cross for the sins of the world, was laid to rest, planted in the garden, in the tomb. He fulfilled HIs faithful calling as our Savior. And no one thought that any good thing would come of His death. Yet, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead, the first of God’s harvest to eternal life for all who trust in Jesus.
Your calling may seem less significant that someone else’s. Yet, as you trust in God, believe in the Lord Jesus as your Savior, and fulfill your calling faithfully, God still creates His miracles today. He does HIs work in you and through you blesses all creation.
Let us pray,
I thank you Lord for the gift of life and the miracles that I see all around me in creation. I praise you for your resurrection from the dead, Lord Jesus, and the future harvest of eternal life that is mine. Help me today to find joy in the calling you have given to me. If my calling is great, or small, I know you will create the miracles necessary for all because I trust in you. In your name I pray, AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.