God and nature use multiple ways of getting seeds out into the world.

Going through my photos for this month’s blog, I realized that many of my choices  were pictures of seeds. This being the autumnal season, one would expect a harvest of seeds, in the form of grains, fruits and nuts. Jesus uses in the parable of the sower, the story of seeds falling on different types of soil or stone, and which seed succeed or fail. In this parable he is using the seed to represent the Word of God, or the gospel, and the type of people where it can grow, mature and spread.

When Christine and I moved to Bristol, England, after finishing training at Global Awakening School of Supernatural Ministry, in Pennsylvania, we were drawn to include Psalm 126, in our daily morning prayers. These two verses seemed to fit our situation from that Psalm and I always found them encouraging.

⁵ Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy!
⁶ He who goes out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    bringing his sheaves with him.

Now, some thirteen years after that eighteen month England venture, I realize how unaware we are about the seeds we have sown and what grew from them. In fact, at one point of total frustration soon after returning to the States while doing two sets of tax returns, for both England and USA, I asked God, well what was the point of our going over there?

I immediately got the answer, ‘It is none of your business.’ It took me some time to process that God was telling me, not to question, what He was doing with what Christine and I had done, but to hold fast in faith, that He was doing His work.

We so often look for a visible result while God is doing a much deeper work. It might take decades for sown seeds to bear fruit, but it is our faith that God will continue to nurture them in His way and purpose. Simply put, ‘let go and let God.’

Unfortunately that does not always satisfy our human yearning, ‘to come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.’

We have a built in desire to know how we are doing, how well we are performing. In a culture where ‘success’ or winning, has to be evident, slow germinating seeds appear to have little worth. But this culture is not the Kingdom of God’s. Walking in faith that God is working, so often requires time.

Today we would question; Why would you plant an oak tree, they take forever to grow?

Apocalyptic Archangel Michael Icon by Christine Hales

Where as our great grand parents would have reasoned; an allee of oak trees will bless our family for generations to come. Have we lost our faith that there is time for future generations? Are we subconsciously acting, from seeing the world fall apart around us with climate change and the radical challenges in Ukraine, Israel, Palestine and so many parts of the world, as though we are approaching the ‘end-times’?

In a group exhibition “The Narrative” at the Sarasota Art Center

I have been leading a bible study in the book of Revelation for two months now and it has been intense, but very worthwhile. John, the author, delivered his vision to the seven churches, in a time where the Roman Empire infused it’s culture on everything, including the churches. It was inescapable because of the glamour, domination and success of all things Roman and that included the worship of the currant emperor as divine. John had been banished to the Island of Patmos, because he spoke out to both the church and the state: there had been a fusing of nationalism and religion. A very powerful bond, which we can trace, empire by empire, through the ages producing unholy extremes behind a veil of righteous religiosity. 

We stand there again, now, wondering is our’s the final empire heading into the final time? Have we reached the point where it is too late to sow seeds for the side of the Lamb? Never, because ‘it is none of our business’ to know, how God uses seeds He sows through us, for His Kingdom. It is though our work, to show the love of the Lamb, in complete faith of His holiness to come.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.

“The Threshold” painting by Christine Hales

Sending love and prayers to you all in these bewildering times. Thank you for being our prayer support all these years. May we all continue supporting each other in prayer until heaven calls us home!

Love and Prayers,

Michael and Christine

Michael’s Photography Christine’s Art work and Icons