Trusting God
Loving God
I have been pondering lately the “why” behind loving God; my personal why.
The thought was triggered again while reading Psalm 116;
“I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.” (Ps 116: 1-2, ESV)
When I was a girl, somewhere between the ages of 7-8, I experienced the first of what would be many episodes of domestic violence in my home. It was the first episode, however that proved to shape the foundation of my relationship with God. In the depth of my fear for my mother’s life I sensed that I was not alone; that God was with me, speaking to my child-heart to “not be afraid, because He was with me.
I love God because He allowed me to experience His presence at an early age. In a strange way, purpose was birthed during that one encounter. God had a plan for my life that would keep me and take me beyond the trouble and hardships of being raised in a home where outcomes were uncertain and survival living was the norm.
I love God because He allowed me to experience His power to heal, to carry on in life successfully in spite of its hardships, in order for me to know that;
“…With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 ESV)
I learned that we must know the power of God for ourselves in order to be a true light in this world, it is a vital part of God’s preparation towards us authentically fulfilling His call and purpose in our lives.
I love the Lord because when I was greatly afflicted;
“…He delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 116:8-9 ESV)
The Good Soil of Faith
Gardeners understand the process of planting seeds in good soil, knowing that the harvest will be as great as the time taken in preparation. We learn that fertile soil is properly cultivated for its crops, or yield as illustrated in the parable of the sower in the bible:
“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and thirty.” (Matthew 13:23)
In this parable, the soil is representative of our heart and how the condition of the heart effects our receptivity of the seed (or word) that God desires to sow in us.
We can all be hearers of the Word, but all will not be sowers of the Word based on the condition of our hearts. Some will receive the Word with joy, yet will not allow the Word to take root or to bear fruit due to the trials and afflictions of life. (Matthew 13:20-21)
Others will hear the Word, but will allow the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth to choke the Word, and it will become unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)
But, for those who desire to live an abundantly fruitful life on this earth, he (or she) is the one on whose heart soil has been prepared to hear the Word of God with understanding and the wisdom and trust to live it out daily, and a result, will live a fruitful, blessed life.
“…who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23b)
May you choose to be the one on whom seed is sown on the good soil of faith!
loretta j. willis, author 