The principle of seedtime and harvest applies to every area of our lives. What a beautiful and simple illustration for us to understand how to grow and mature into what God has created us to be!
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. Genesis 8:22
Seedtime & Harvest
When we read these verses we often focus on seedtime and harvest. This principle is very important. Seedtime (planting or sowing seeds) can be applied our words, thoughts, finances, relationships, or time. The seeds that you and I plant through our words or actions, will grow into a mature plant that produces fruit, with more of that same seed. The seed that goes into the ground, will produce after its own kind. If you sow generosity, you will reap abundance. If you plant seeds of fear, doubt, and worry you will not harvest the fruit of faith. You will get only that which you have planted, so plant carefully and wisely!
Times & Seasons
Another important principle in these verses are cold and heat, summer and winter, day and
night. These are all important aspects of seed and plant health. I LOVE tulips and daffodils in the spring. But I have to enjoy them from a distance, because they are in somebody else’s yard, never my own. I have never planted a bulb in the fall so that I can have this beautiful spring flower in my garden in the spring. The timing of planting your seeds is often important. Bulbs need to be planted before winter, so they have time to do their thing before they grow and bloom. (‘Do their thing’ is the technical, gardening term, right?) We can’t rebuke the cold, heat, summer, winter, day, or night. These are times and season put in place that can help your seeds grow, if you plant, water, trim, and harvest within the appropriate seasons.
Rest
The final principle to mention today is found in the phrase will never cease. This word for ‘cease’ is the same Hebrew word we translate into Sabbath, and rest throughout the Old Testament. This verse tells us that as long as we are on this earth the principles of seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never rest, cease, or end.
Yet we are told to rest. Inherent to the idea of rest is the ability to trust. If we do not actually trust God with an area of our lives we will not able to rest in that area. Instead we will continue to strive to achieve, accomplish, fix, or maintain that area. Our bodies and minds need rest from our work, but this principle is more than just a physical one.
Concerning giving, tithing and living a generous lifestyle we can ‘lay down’ a gift, and trust God to produce the harvest. Concerning the work that you do: work six days. Then rest, trusting that God has put in place this principle, and that it will be at work on your seeds! We don’t need to be striving, stressing, or worrying about it. We ‘lay down’ that time, those resources, or our energies in that area, and trust that this principle will continue working, growing the seeds that you have been planting.
You have the promise that whatever you set your hand to do will prosper. The seeds you plant will produce after their own kind. Plant well, work hard, and rest.
Do you have an area that you struggle to rest in? How have you, or how are you, overcoming that?
Thanks for reading – love to hear from you!
