Fallow Ground
By Rev. Denise Much
Some years ago my husband built us some above-ground planters. He has always taken care of them. But this year he didn't, so I decided to plant some green beans and beets in one. I cleaned it out, removed the dead plants, and began to till the soil and to my surprise, I began to dig up walnuts long buried by squirrels and not a little but a lot. The nuts were sprouting to varying degrees. Some had a root. In some the root was long and some were just starting to sprout and some of the nuts looked rotten.
The Lord began to speak to me through this. I've been praying for the communities around me, asking the Lord to “break up the fallow ground, to cultivate the soil of our hearts.” This is from Hosea 10:12, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.”
If you don’t know what fallow ground is, it is ground that has not been planted, given a rest, The ground has laid dormant. The ground hardens over, and weeds take over. When it’s time for planting the ground has to be broken up, and turned over. It exposes and brings to the surface what’s been buried. If we want a good harvest, then we need to prepare the soil. Rocks removed, old roots, and in my case walnuts.
This planter is a lot like our hearts and the nuts are like lies. Unaware, the enemy has sown lies in our hearts. If we’re not careful, we will receive them and assimilate them into our belief system. Some have laid there rotting and some have sprouted roots. We don’t notice them because they haven’t broken through the surface yet. But they’re there. They might be roots of doubt, shame, anger, or unbelief. They could be the roots of unworthiness, feeling like we just don’t measure up or maybe we’re struggling with trusting the Lord. Like these nuts, these lies were buried long ago.
Like the nuts, we don’t want to wait for the lies to spout and take root because they are harder to remove. We want to remove them now while they’re still just a seed. So we pray, Lord, break up the fallow ground, cultivate the soil of my heart, and then the Holy Spirit is faithful, He will. He will uncover them.
You might begin to notice the attitudes of your heart, the short temper, or the words you speak, and then if we will ask the Lord, “Is there a lie I’m believing?” He’ll uncover it. Then we can repent and He is faithful to not only forgive us but cleanse us of all unrighteousness, 1 John 1:9.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…”
If you are brave enough to pray, “break up the fallow ground of my heart,” and the lies that have been planted long ago, God is more able to remove those, even if they are stubborn, and He will speak the truth.
Remember, He loves you enough not to leave you like you are. He wants His best for you.
Is there anything you need prayer about? You can contact me at devotions@swiminternational.org
