Last year, my daughters and I planted our first vegetable garden of green beans, sweet peas, and tomatoes. All of us, including my husband, were excited about the prospect of harvesting organic, home-grown vegetables. We diligently watered the seedlings, keep vegetable-loving insects at bay, and even built a little fence around the garden to keep out the neighboring rabbits.
Daily we would check on the garden. With each passing day, there seemed to be no movement, no growth. My daughters were outwardly and verbally frustrated. They would ask, when would they begin to see growth. Inwardly, I was getting frustrated. I thought to myself, maybe I planted these seeds correctly. Maybe they have not been getting enough water...Perhaps the garden is in the wrong spot and is not getting enough sunlight...
All of these thoughts continued to swirl in my head, until the day I began to see growth. I remember the excitement I felt as I ran into the house to get my husband and the girls. The four of us stood at that garden in mesmerized. Then the revelation of I Corinthians 3:7 hit me. We can plant and we can water, but God gives the increase.
Increase is in the hands of God. I pray that this is a word of encouragement and relief for you today. Even if it does not seem like things are changing, moving, or growing--God is working beneath the surface in a realm that we cannot see. He only requires that we plant and water. If you are facing a personal struggle or challenge; perhaps an addiction, a difficult relationship, or emotional distress...plant the word of God into that area. Water it with prayer. Do it daily, as if you are caring for a new garden. Don't lose heart or allow discouragement to encroach. In God's time, the seed of the Word will begin to germinate, sprout, grow, and flourish.