Forever sowing.

There are a lot of plant analogies in the Bible. It's probably because it was an agricultural period (or at least that's what I'm told), but I feel like the more I learn about the Bible, the more I learn about planting! It's quite handy. 

Anywho. Two plant-related (not really) events in my life recently. 

PART ONE.
I'm currently reading "Finding Common Ground" by Tim Downs, recommended by one of the staff members in Cru. In the first chapter it speaks about sowing, tending, and harvesting - relating the physical concepts in farming to their counterpart in evangelism. 

Everyone loves the harvesting season, where people are coming to Christ and there is cake and happiness all around. Everyone loves that part of evangelism. 

However, the sowing (especially the sowing) and the tending are not as fun and seem fruitless sometimes. I definitely fall into this category of folks. But it is also where God keeps me in people's walks more often than not.

The thing is, I've never seen a person come to Christ in front of me. I went sharing (where we go out in pairs in a public area and ask people questions to spark conversation) a dozen times this past year, and nothing. Lots of good spiritual conversations, but no eternity-altering decisions. And this is frustrating. I want results! I want one person, ONE. But no. I sow, and I tend, and somewhere down the line someone will harvest. I have to be okay with this and accepting of it, because that's the way it is. 

But it helps when I can see it in context like this. Maybe one day I'll be the harvester. That day is not today.

PART TWO. 
For devotions, I'm using the "Growing Closer to God in 31 Days" from Cru's Summer Survival Guide (scroll to page 7), and one of the passages I looked at earlier this month was John 15:1-8.
Sword drill.

In this passage, Jesus is speaking about how He is the true vine and the Father is the gardener. Cool. We're tracking along. 
Verse 2 is where it gets interesting. 
"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (NIV)
Ouch. Have you ever seen someone prune a branch? It does not look pleasant, but it is done for the good of the plant, it allows it to grow more! And even though it sucks in the moment, the plant can than flourish because of the pruning. 
Sometimes it seems like I'm in constant pruning or constant sharpening (Prov. 27:17) or constantly in flames (Job 23:10) - whatever analogy floats your boat - but it's always for my good. Always. That's a promise.

One way-too-overly-quoted verse, Jeremiah 29:11, states that God has a plan for me that is not evil and will not harm me. But let's put this verse in context. The Israelites are about to go into the desert for FORTY YEARS. 
THAT is when God is telling them this, not when their boyfriend broke up with them, not when they didn't get a leadership position, and not when they didn't get into the college they had been dreaming about. 
FORTY YEARS. 
IN A DESERT. 
WANDERING.
And what did God do in that desert? He provided. He always provided for them. Even when they were unfaithful, He provided for them. 
Check out 2 Timothy 2:13 for yummyness on that front.

When I'm being pruned, feeling faithless, or like I'm constantly sowing and never harvesting, I can be sure that God is faithful and will provide. He can make food fall from the sky in the desert and can raise people the dead. It may not be in the way I expect, but He will provide for me. 

That's a promise.