Breaking Hard Ground

What do you do when your heart begins to harden – not overnight, but little by little? When cynicism replaces hope, when prayer feels pointless, when you know something's off but can't quite name it? You can keep pretending … or you can start digging. Farmers know all about that choice. Leave a field unploughed for too long and the surface becomes hard and water-resistant – good seed can't take root. During the 1930s 'Dust Bowl' drought across the Great Plains of America, countless farmers learned that the hard way. Over-worked and neglected, the land stopped absorbing rain. But the few who ploughed deep, restoring the soil, saw green shoots return when the storms eventually came.  That's exactly the picture that Hosea paints when he calls God's people back to Him: Hosea 10:12 If you plant goodness, you will harvest faithful love. Plough your ground, and you will harvest with the LORD. He will come, and he will make goodness fall on you like rain. Israel's comfort had made their hearts like that fallow ground – dry, unyielding, self-satisfied. God's message? Don't wait for the rain before you plough. Break the ground first. Maybe that's you right now. Maybe life's pressures, disappointments, distractions have packed your heart firm. Do yourself a favour. Pick up the plough of repentance. Turn the soil of your soul. Because when you seek Him honestly, God always sends the rain. If you plant goodness, you will harvest faithful love. Plough your ground, and you will harvest with the LORD. He will come, and he will make goodness fall on you like rain. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.