Day 10 of 21 Days of Courage

Ecclesiastes 11:4
“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.”
 

---

There’s an old story about two farmers shooting the breeze down at the feed store on a Saturday morning. One says to the other, “You got your cotton all planted?" “Nope,” says the other, “Decided not to plant any cotton this year; I’m too worried about the boll weevils.” “Well, then I guess you’re putting all your land in corn?” “Nope. Might not rain. Corn’s got to have rain.” By now, the first farmer is scratching his head. “So, you aren’t making a cotton crop, and you aren’t planting corn. I guess you’re relying on your winter wheat to carry you through?” The second farmer shook his head, “Didn’t put in any wheat. Too scared of the army worms.” The first farmer is openly amazed. “No wheat, no corn, no cotton . . . so, you aren’t making any kind of a crop this year at all?” “That’s right. This year, I decided to just play it safe.”

Of course, we all recognize the folly of “playing it safe” by doing nothing at all. And yet, so often, by holding on to whatever we associate with security, we guarantee that we live paralyzed lives - not the life that God intends for us.

The Bible says, in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” It’s a very true principle. Like the overly cautious farmer in the story above, if we wait until we have absolute certainty to do something, it won’t ever get done.

In order to combat the fears that keep you up at night, you must embrace uncertainty. Remember how the story of Joseph teaches us that complete clarity only comes with hindsight? Most of the time, you will not be able to see the end from the beginning. You must take the first step, then the next, believing that, as you move forward, the rest of the path will be revealed.

In this connection, we have to remember that when we move forward in faith, we are not simply rolling the dice. Our attitude should not be, Well, there’s no such thing as a sure thing, so I might as well try and see what happens. Instead, when we release our own attempts at security and grasp God’s hand, our thinking should be, I know that the future will always be uncertain, but I also know that God is faithful, no matter what the future holds. Never forget that you are not trusting to blind chance; you are trusting the God who longs to be with you.

Trust, in fact, is the foundation of any relationship. In marriage, in business, in parenting, trust is the keystone on which everything else rests. And yet, trust in God does not come naturally or easily. It must be learned, and then it must be exercised frequently.

Like a muscle that grows with use,
trust in God increases the more we employ it.
 

-Pete