There is an order to things in the universe. Down to the smallest details, there is an order. Even when people speak of chaos theory, they are really trying to explain the order that they see. There are also some things that come before other things, even if there is a cycle to things.
Our text tells us of the unseen power that makes the plant work. The farmer really has no concern about what the plant is doing, he just knows that you put the seed in the ground and several months later there is grain to harvest. He really has very little to do between the scattering of the seeds and the harvesting of the grain. All that intervening work is not his concern.
There is a power in the seed and in the mechanisms of growth that are unknown. There is a power at work in our spiritual lives that we don’t always see. There are moments of interaction, but then often times long intervals with little visible action. Both the plant and our spiritual lives move toward a goal, a purpose for existence. Often all that is seen is the progress itself, not the force producing the progress. Grain is the outcome of seed being planted. When the seed produces grain, it has fulfilled its purpose. It has followed the predictable pattern for seed bearing plants.
The pattern for plants is seed, germinate, sprout, stalk, head, full kernel, ripen, and then the harvest. If it stops along the way, for whatever reason, it does not fulfill its purpose. The same is true for our spiritual growth. There is a pattern that leads toward maturity.
The Holy Spirit draws. We hear the Word. We respond to the Word. Excitement begins. There is a hunger for Scripture. Challenges to belief come. Prayer is initiated in earnest. Hunger for Scripture increases. Fellowship is sought. And the pattern repeats until we reach heaven. OR we get off the bus and think we have arrived at our spiritual destination, only to be found at some unfulfilling subway station in Hell.
The pattern is predictable. If we stop the process, try to shortcut the pattern, we will not fulfill the purpose of spiritual growth. We will be unfruitful followers of Jesus. No fruit means failure. If we don’t fulfill the pattern, we are weak and ineffective.
I want to fulfill all that the LORD has in store for me.
The Arnold Journey 