Why do troubles come?

The Parable of the Sower - How is the good ground made?

Jesus talked in parables in Matthew 13:18-23  '“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”'

This scripture portion has been preached many times in churches, Sunday classes and all Christian circles. The Holy Spirit recently revealed more about the “good ground” during prayer.

If you have seen a farmer’s complete crop cycle you would understand this better. A farmer starts with hardened land with low or no moisture in the topsoil. Sometimes, since they let the land to recover after a harvest, thorns and bushes would have grown in the land. In some other places, the rain would have leached the nutrients in the soil. If it’s a new farmland, which has never been cultivated before it will have a lot of rocks.

In the parable above Jesus talks about 4 different people. They are different because of their mindset. This is similar to the kinds of land a farmer encounters. 

The 4th person is the good land. But how does one become this good land?

If you have seen the farmer working on the stony land, land with thorns and shrubs or the land lacking in nutrients you will understand this better. The farmer ploughs the land, breaks the stiff land, breaks the rocks and throws them away, cuts and uproots the shrubs and manures it too. All this is done by the farmer before he can sow the seed. Sowing happens in the good land.

When the thorny shrubs are cut, they will be dragged on the ground, the ground will be scratched by the thorns in the process. Uprooting a thorny bush is tough, it will take a lot of strikes using a pickaxe or a crowbar, and this will break the land. Once the shrubs are cut, they will be left to dry and burnt on the same land with fire. The heat will affect the land too.

Similarly, God has to put us through the breaking, cutting and throwing away of unwanted materials before he can sow His word. He might have to concentrate nutrients in us by making us wait patiently. These are the trials and troubles that the worldly person encounters. Some have to let go of their beliefs, some their pride, some need to be broken like Moses… and just when the person has given up on himself, has been humbled he or she is a good land ready to be sown the seed by the Holy Farmer.

People who are not children of God will have to go through this process to have the opportunity to become a child of God. That is the reason missionaries and servants of God reach out to the sick, the downtrodden, people who are jailed, people who are forgotten etc.

The wayside person lacks understanding. Many teenagers are like this. They have no care or understanding of life. They believe the protective environment they are in, provided by the parents is the whole world. How many times we as teenagers have said “ok, let me enjoy life now, religiousness or godliness can wait?” even when forced to sit through a sermon or a prayer session, they do not understand anything. When they go back to the world, all is lost as the devil gives them reasons to not follow what was preached. More often than not the reason is “Later, not now.” The seed does fall on the wayside person, as their parents take them along to sermons, church services and Bible teaching sessions.

The stony person, he is new, just like a new farmland. The soil is strongly bound to stones. These are like people who believe they know a thing about life and it's difficult for the word to work in them. The farmer cannot sow seeds on this land without incurring a loss.

The thorny person, is like someone who has had some lessons in life. They do not have stones in them. But the problem is, the believe they have to do all the heavy lifting in life for their and their family’s wellbeing. They are always busy working, caring just like Martha in Luke 10:38-40 'Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”'

Martha was the one to welcome Jesus first. But then she has her mind on the cooking and cleaning that needs attention.

So, if when you are reading this, you are going through troubles and tribulations and want to just give up… remember, that the eternal Father is working to make you His child. You may be born into a Christian family, you may read the bible, go to church and pray, but you can still be living a life far away from God. Remember, you become a child of God only when you are Water Baptised and Spirit Baptised. If you are being broken now, you are on your way there sooner or later. Give in to God and He will quicken the process. Amen.

Praise the Lord!

Glory to Jesus.