Galatians 6:7 - Nothing Happened! Now What?

Thursday 3/8/12 – Nothing Happened! Now What? – A Devotional on Persistence, Patience, and Faith

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Interpretation:

     This verse obviously talks about sowing and it talks about reaping, but if that’s where you stop at this verse, you’ve missed a very important part. It might not be explicitly stated in the verse, but it’s implied so strongly that no one can deny it. The one thing that any farmer will tell you is the longest and most important part of a crop is the waiting and nurturing period in between the sowing and reaping. No farmer plants something and expects it to be ready for harvest the next day. When you plant something you’re investing your time and energy. You know that it won’t bring forth fruit for a while. It might take weeks before you see a harvest; it might take years (particularly if it’s a tree). But having the faith that what you sowed you will eventually reap is what keeps farmers going.

     For a Christian trying to please God and obey Him, this period of time can be a trial. They know from this verse alone that God promises that what they sow, they will reap; but when the days pass and nothing happens, the temptation to give up gets stronger and stronger. We must have faith, though. Without faith, we won’t make it to the time of the harvest. Perhaps this is one reason why the author of Hebrews writes, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). It’s that “diligent” part that gets so many of us. We sow, whether it be by obeying God, doing good, or requesting our petitions in prayer; but we aren’t diligent enough to keep it up until the harvest comes. Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-11 that He wants to give us good gifts but we must ask, knock, and seek. In fact, in the original language of that text it implies that we are to continue asking, continue knocking, and continue seeking. We are to sow it the first time, but then we also need to be diligent to wait for the harvest as we water what we sowed by continuing to do what God told us to do or continue to go before Him in prayer. So if you’re dreaming of a bountiful harvest in your Christian walk, then get a few seeds and a lot of faith and patience and let the time of reaping come when God is ready to bring it.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

Application:

     I am starting to read George Muller’s autobiography. I just read the summary of his life so far, but from what I know about him, he has gone down in history for his amazing child-like faith in God. I want to have this childlike faith, but I know that faith is something that needs to be exercised. Although I know God can give people great faith overnight just because He’s God and because He wants to bless His children with good gifts according to Matthew 7:11, I know that He also wants us to keep asking.

     Therefore, my application is that I will pray for this strong child-like faith in God that I know He wants to give me and will look for opportunities to exercise that faith throughout the week. I know that I might not see the fruits of my prayer immediately, but I will continue to ask for this faith everyday for a week at the very least, believing that what I sow in prayer, God will bring to fruition in my life in His timing.