Good Soil: Living on a Prayer

I know, I know what you are thinking right now. Or rather singing. Woah-oh we’re halfway there… but I have a legitimate point I promise! I can’t help that it ended up being catchy.

My husband and I have finally arrived in Jacksonville. It was a long time coming, from last June when we first met Brian, the pastor of the church up here we’ve come to serve in, until last week when we packed up our little two bedroom apartment, said goodbye to our very good friends and left. When we received the call we were two; now we are three with the sweetest, most fun little boy in our lives. We made the decision through much prayer and tears, all the while as the Lord affirmed that we needed to be obedient and trust his faithfulness.

January had been a difficult month for me. The Lord is again rearranging the proverbial furniture in my life. Even more than when my son was born, I have realized how selfish I truly am. Not only that, but my struggle is self-righteousness. I want to do everything perfectly, particularly being a perfect homemaker, wife and mom (For more on that, see my post Definition of a Homemaker). As we moved to Jacksonville, we were transitioning not only from one place to another, but from a position of being served to serving others. For me to do that, my pride has to go, and I must be willing to give of myself to others. Part of that is not worrying about money, about the things that I have, and focusing on his kingdom.

The need to be in prayer has been on the forefront of my mind. I read this passage about the different soils for one of my first devotions since moving, I saw more in it than I have in times past.

“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke out the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word and accept it, and produce a harvest – thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” (mark 4:18-20)

My own heart is one of those soils. I don’t want to be the soil that chokes out any fruitfulness the word might bring, simply because I am worried by troubles of this life. I would rather be the fruitful soil that produces a crop, a crop that multiplies! In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom, and all these things will be added to you,” speaking of the things that “your heavenly father knows that you need.” Why do I worry?!

The hearts of the people in our church are one of those soils. These are people that I barely know, and when I first met them more than six months ago, they were collectively in a different place than they are now. We need to not underestimate what the Lord is doing in their hearts and lives, because it could be just as much as he has done in our hearts – they are just on a different part of the journey. That is why we are here.

When God told us to go serve, he never said it would be easy. And that reality is hard. If I am truly to be fruitful, and if the people God has called us to are to be good soil, I realize that there is only one thing I can really do. It is both the easiest and most difficult thing to do. I have learned much about it in the last two years at Cross Life, through teachings and through watching others’ examples.

Pray.

A comment was made before we left about praying as leaders. “don’t underestimate the power of your prayers over the people.” Praying for people, with them and just over seats matters. At different times in my life, I have prayed like this, but not very consistently.

As we enter this new phase of our life, living on a prayer, so to speak, it’s all the more crucial that we do live on a prayer. Instead of worrying about getting a job, praying for provision. Instead of being frustrated at things we feel we will never be able to change, let’s pray for wisdom in handling them. Instead of trying to make things happen and start things, praying for God’s timing. Instead of fretting that we don’t know people, praying for them even though we don’t!

There are always times in life when the challenges seem nearly insurmountable, and the change the Lord is making in your heart just keep coming. But the choice to be good soil, to be fruitful, to grow where you have been planted, relies on this power of prayer in life. I know that when we focus on his kingdom first, looking to live in his presence, he will be our safeguard, lead, and bless the work he has given us to do. Let everything else fall by the wayside!