Faithful on Fridays Blog

Jesus’ purpose in coming into our world was to pay for our sins, but also help us walk in faith and victory waiting for His return. He called it Kingdom Living. In order for us to enjoy this type of royal life in His invisible kingdom He taught us how to be victorious in challenging circumstances of life: He taught us how to walk in faith.

This parable, only recorded by Mark, follows the parable of the Sower and the Soil with good reason. As we read that first parable of gardening, and there are more, we understand the crucial nature of the soil of our hearts, and now, Jesus explained another secret or mystery to Kingdom Living: it’s about patient faith. When Matthew recorded the parable of the Sower he showed how Jesus used the word ‘hear’ 14 times! He was making the point that when you hear God’s Word, through various ways, you’re planting seeds in your heart. Mysterious! 

In the lower story the seed is planted in good soil, watered, and there’s a period of waiting … and waiting … and waiting. You may wonder why germination takes so long, every day you go and check, but nothing. There’s a time for everything under heaven (Ecc. 3:1-2) and God is the only One who causes seed to mysteriously grow. He planned it from the beginning (Gen. 1:11) when He miraculously put the ‘seed within itself’ producing after it’s own kind. 

In the upper story we receive Spirit-revelation how to live a triumphant kingdom life by understanding this parable and the value of patient faith. Whatever seed you’re planting today will also reproduce after it’s own kind: faith or doubt, trust or fear, forgiveness or resentment, etc. therefore, if you don’t like what you’re growing change the seed! It’s a natural law, but more importantly, a spiritual law.

After you plant a natural seed you may wonder why it takes so long to germinate but remembering that the seed coat must break open, allowing a miraculous, identical plant embryo, hidden in the darkness, to spread roots and eventually sprout. That’s amazing. You can’t see that process because it’s hidden, yet in secret God is doing quite a lot. 

It may seem like our Lord hasn’t heard your prayer or observed your faith walk … but He has. He’s simply working underground, just like a germinating seed, and when the time is right He causes growth. It’s a natural and spiritual law. You won’t understand how it all happened, but this parable helps you stand in patient faith with a believing and trusting heart. 

There’s a sequence in growing seed: first the blade, then the ear, and finally the full grain appears. It’s unexplainable but you’ve waited in faith for God to answer your prayer, you. kept planting His Word in the good soil of your heart, and eventually  harvest time will come and you’ll enjoy your crop. Patience, my friends, He is faithful.