In the past couple of months, I’ve gotten a fresh revelation of God’s call on my life and a renewed desire to follow it. Along with that has come a promise of redeeming the time I have lost in my wanderlust. A couple of weeks back I had a dream that played in my head like a movie on a drive-in screen. It was chaotic and moving in fast forward.
The dream was of my daily life and God was showing me how frenzied and confused I had let it become. I was doing too much and moving too fast, and more importantly, I wasn’t resting. My life was non-stop and always in go-mode. It was filled it with unneeded distractions that kept me busy and in crisis mode. I was seeking to provide for my family and our needs instead of seeking the Kingdom of God FIRST, understanding that Daddy knows what we need and will provide all these things far better than I could (Matthew 6:25-34).
The Prodigal Son
After that dream, I kept being reminded of the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Verse 14-16 describes the son being in want and having spent all his substance and a great famine coming to the land. The son then joins himself to a citizen of the land and fed his swine. After some time he grew frustrated with his life and would gladly have eaten the food he fed the pigs. Eventually, he realized that being just a servant in his father’s house was better than remaining in bondage to his own foolishness.
I’m telling you right now, this is exactly how I feel in my job (joined to a citizen of the land) and life. It being sketchy and somewhat unethical in many matters, plus the unending abuse from people makes it very difficult for me to do with a clear conscience. Just like the son feeding pigs. Pigs are filthy and unclean animals in Jewish culture. The Law of Moses strictly forbids the eating of the pig. So here’s the son surrounded by uncleanness and so distraught and broken that he’d be happy to eat their food. That was me. Lost, frustrated, despondent, hopeless, and hungry for God and a change.
Lessons Through Farming
A few days ago I was checking on my plants, specifically the bush beans I planted. They’d been in the soil for a couple of weeks and I’d not seen any signs of growth. Suffice it to say, I was a bit concerned. I went out the next morning and all three of the seeds I had planted in one pot had broken through, shed their seed pod, and grown approximately an inch tall. Immediately I heard God say, don’t worry I am redeeming the time that you believe you have wasted. The time was not a waste and you have lost nothing. I was strengthening you and your character during this time. I will give you the former rain, and the latter rain, and I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten (Joel 2:23-26). Seek my face and my kingdom and all your needs will be met.Fear not, for I am with you, always.
One of the many reasons I love growing things is because God speaks to me so much through farming and nature. I’m sure that’s the reason I love the mountains and digging in the dirt so much; it restores and refreshes me. That’s how Daddy made me.
Return to Your First Love
He’s saying the same thing to every one of His children today. Return to Him. Return to your first love (Revelation 2). Your life is full of busyness and distractions. Many are the works of good you have done in His name. However, you have neglected your relationship with Him. All the good works in the world cannot come close to spending time in His presence and in His love. Give God everything of yourself once again as you did in the beginning. Fall in love with Him all over again. Renew the relationship with Him you have neglected for so long. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
This morning, as I write this, the appearance in the natural of our situation has not changed, but I know that God will provide all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). He promised He’d provide and that He was redeeming the time. My part is to seek Him and His kingdom.
Has God been redeeming your time? How? Tell us here…
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