A Ploughed Heart

Annie

Scriptures: Matthew 13:1-9 Isaiah 44 Luke 9:57-62

In my early teens, we lived in Tenby, a small seaside town in West Wales. From our house we had a view over the town to Caldey Island, one of Britain’s Holy Islands, where there is a Cistercian Monastery. We could follow the seasons as the image of the fields on the island changed throughout the year. In Spring, without us seeing anyone doing the work, suddenly the field would be ploughed, then we would watch the crops growing throughout the Summer, ready for harvest in Autumn.

We used to talk about it, one day there would be brown stubble from the harvested crop, the next morning rich dark soil, ploughed and broken up ready for new seed to be sown and grow. We could see that without that ploughing, the seed would have needed to fight for survival and the harvest would be so much lesser.

Does this sound at all familiar? Jesus knew that His immediate audience, seated around the hillsides and by the lakeside, were so familiar with the images of ploughed fields and farmers sowing seeds, and He used it to teach them some massively important lessons. It was a story they could relate to, they knew full well that seeds need to be sown in soil that is broken up, aerated and nourished, so that they are able to grow into fruitful plants. Yet, His disciples had to ask Him to explain why He spoke to them in parables, they knew it wasn’t just an unimportant story, but they needed help understanding His purpose.

So, lovingly, yet with great clarity and firmness, Jesus explained what using this parable meant for the people listening. He began by telling the disciples how blessed they were, but also what responsibility came with that blessing. He reminded them that Isaiah had spoken of the state of the nation, and how their hearts had become “dull” because of their idolatry. They had filled their lives with so much that they had forgotten how to worship God with their whole hearts, hearts that could no longer understand His love, His mercy, His salvation for them. Only hearts that were broken, friable and soft were ready to receive the seed of His Word.

Once again, does this sound familiar?

There was another time when Jesus spoke about ploughing. He warned us all that once we begin the process of allowing our hearts to be ploughed, unless we continue we will not be fit for the Kingdom of God. That may sound pretty radical but the reality is an intrinsic part of our growth as children of the Living God. Our hearts must be ready to receive the precious seed of His Word, just as soil in the field must be ploughed and broken up, nourished and fed, aerated and well watered.

So, how do we plough our hearts? Clearly our first step is to surrender our lives, absolutely and utterly, into Christ’s safe, wounded Hands. Our names are written on those hands, carved by the cruel nails into His palms, indelibly, so that eternally Christ carries our name. With that surrender, if it is total, comes the opportunity for the transformation to begin, this is when we set our hands to the plough and pray to our Abba Father that Holy Spirit would guide our steps.

All the rocks and rubble that fill our path, that would hinder the plough, need to be dug out and thrown aside so that the roots can delve deep into soft soil. Our stubborn old nature with its prejudice and carnal desires has to go. Yes it is God who achieves this, but we must be willing to allow Him to carry out this work.

Then the weeds, the thorns that would strangle the shoots the seed puts out, have to go. Not just be cut off but carefully and meticulously eased out of the soil. Every root of bitterness from which the weeds can grow has to be eliminated. Bitterness that would cause us to see nothing but what the tempter puts before us, often in the most insidious way.

Ploughing is hard work, but without it, the soil cannot absorb nutrients or moisture to feed the seed. Our hearts of stone need to be replaced with the Father’s tender, soft heart so that we will be fruitful children, as He longs for us to be.

Prayer: Dear Abba Father God, strengthen lazy hands and weak knees so that we can continue to keep our eyes fixed on You as we plough our hearts, then we can truly be for fit for that wonderful Kingdom that You promise is ours, if we follow You all our days. In Jesus Name we pray Amen.