Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIV
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
Whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
I am preparing to plant my garden. The seed varieties have carefully been chosen. I have bought a variety of tomato and pepper plants. A new addition to my garden this year is cauliflower. I am hoping for an abundant crop of fresh vegetables later this season. How many of you plant a garden?
I grew up on a dairy farm so planting and harvesting is in my blood. Each spring the fields were fertilized and tilled, the rocks were picked (the worst part of the job), and the seeds planted. Then we waited…
There is uncertainty. There are many factors involved such as will the seed germinate, will there be enough rain, enough sun and warmth, will the weather conditions be conducive to growing a magnificent crop. The gardener does not know if that seed will grow, nor is it known how much will be available for harvest. But the gardener and the farmer plant anyway…planting in faith, trusting that something will grow.
The author of Ecclesiastes uses weather as an analogy; maybe because it is something that we can all understand. If the weather looks uncooperative, it might change our plans. Or it might inhibit our plans all together. Strong winds might signify a storm is moving in. Clouds might signify that rain is coming. We look up to the sky and see all this uncertainty. We are unsure of what will happen, we are unsure of the future. So we choose our action (make our plan) based on what we see, what we observe. Since the conditions appear to not be favorable, the conditions are not perfect, our project, our plan, may never be started. This uncertainty often will lead us to inactivity. I think that this inactivity then leads us to fear and anxiety. We feel unprepared because we don’t know the future, leaving us unsure of what to do. The lesson to learn from Ecclesiastes 11:4 is that if we fail to commit until conditions are perfect (or we are ensured success), we will do nothing.
Wayne Gretzky, the famous hockey player said, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
How many of you feel this way right now? How many of you after watching the news feel hopeless? Feel unprepared? Feel fear and anxiety?
I do!!
Currently with the outbreak of Covid-19 in our Nation, there is much uncertainty. For most of us our daily life and schedules have been turned upside down. We, too, don’t know the future of this virus. We don’t know how long it will last. We don’t know the full effects on our economy. We have seen many people, such as nurses, grocery store employees, and farmers become weary. And, sadly, we have had many people lose their life.
But here is what we can do-we can plant…so to speak!
I believe we are called to move forward with actions of prayer and trust!
Action of prayer:
- To pray for those in our community; our friends and neighbors who are struggling. We don’t know their situation, but we know and trust that God does. Philippians 4:4-7
- To pray for law enforcement and front line workers. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18
- To pray for those in government and leadership positions. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Action of trust:
- To trust in the Lord because He is an all-knowing God. Proverbs 3:5
- To trust in the Lord because of who He is and the guidance He provides us. Proverbs 3:6
- To trust in the Lord, our provider, even when we are weary and disheartened by continuing to do good (to live righteously). Galatians 6:9
Uncertainty can stop us. Uncertainty can cause us to never start. If we stop, if we don’t start, if we don’t plant…friends, we miss out on the harvest. We are guaranteed no harvest at all!! I believe that is not what God intends for our life. He wants us to come to him in prayer as He will supply our hope and comfort. He wants us to trust Him in all seasons.
The Voice Translation, Ecclesiastes 11:4
Those who watch and wait for favorable winds never plant, and those who watch and fret over every cloud never harvest.
