Tending to spiritual life is much like tending for a natural garden. We have to constantly water the seeds of faith we plant into the garden of the Spirit. We have to keep the birds away, the rocks and weeds out, and pull up the thorns and thistles but mainly we have to wait and have faith in the process.
The Bible says,
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1, 3
Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life,” John 6:63.
We plant the seed of God’s Word just like we plant a natural seed – by faith. Even though it is hidden from our sight, the seeds we plant are the spiritual substance of which we hope and the evidence of what we cannot see. Just as in the natural we have to trust the process – seed, time, and harvest. We have to believe that God’s Word sown in the Spirit will appear as life.
We can only bring forth what already is in heaven.
In the story of Abraham’s faith-walk retold by Paul in the book of Romans I am encouraged because like Abraham, there comes a time for all of who will follow in his foot-steps to wait in faith, believing in the supernatural power of a God that we cannot see to bring to pass what can come by His Spirit alone.
Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”…He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Romans 4:16-18, 20-21
Here the Bible says that Abraham became what he already was in God’s presence by his faith. The word presence in verse 17 means – in the face of, before, in the sight of. In God’s sight, in His very Presence Abraham was already a father of many nations. God called Abraham like He saw him and told Abraham to do the same, (Genesis 17:5). This word calls means – to bid forth. God called Abraham’s destiny forth out of heaven into earth.
Abraham believed God and also called himself by his destined name even though he could not see in the natural. He spent his time waiting, as he went about his business he did not weaken in faith but gave glory to God as the One who would perform and make good on His own Word.
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Zachariah 4:6
Beloved, we plant the invisible, incorruptible seed of God’s Word into our spirits by His Spirit – what He has called and promised us about our circumstances, or families, or situations, or healings and then we believe not only what we cannot see, but also and more importantly in Whom we cannot see – God, and He brings it to pass
Leave a Reply