Isaiah 55:10-11 “As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

I have underlined just about every word of this chapter, and most of it has been set to music, so I’m in real trouble when it comes to choosing a section to write on. However, I feel the Lord gave me a bit of fresh insight on these two verses just now, so here goes. The thing that struck me just now is that rain and snow indeed water the earth, but particularly in the case of snow, the effect is not immediate. With a gentle spring rain we see the results very quickly, as in the old proverb, “April showers bring May flowers.” In the summer, I could wish for less rain so I wouldn’t have to cut the grass so often! However, as any farmer in the Western US will tell you, winter snow pack is essential for a harvest the following autumn, even though there is quite a time separation. Spiritually speaking, we like/want “magic,” where the incantation is spoken, the wand is waved, and POOF, the effect appears. However, magic is a distorted counterfeit of what God does. Sometimes God does work quickly, as we see it, and we sometimes call that a miracle. However, far more often the effect takes more time, from our perspective at least, and we might not even recognize the cause and effect connection. We can see the connection between snow pack and rivers/ground water because it is evident in a matter of months, but what if we were insects with a lifespan measured in weeks? We have that problem with the Word of God. Years ago a phrase was popular in Christian circles: “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” However, that settles only my response to what God said. In the eternal perspective, if God said it, that settles it, period.

Japan is certainly a testing ground for that kind of faith! No other mission field comes close in the low ratio of visible results for effort expended. However, this is where God planted me, and I am not to complain, but rather walk in faithful obedience. I am to seek results, yes, but my focus is to be on God rather than on what I see right now. I have been in love with the Word of God for many years, and I’ve got to remember the truth of this passage, even in the deep freeze of February. I cannot predict when I will see the fruit of the Word He has spoken through me, but I can rest in peace that the fruit will come. Yesterday at a wedding I performed I saw, in the eyes of the bride, real reception of the Gospel I was speaking. I don’t know when that will bear fruit, but I can rest assured that it will happen.

Father, thank You for the encouragement You have given me the past couple of days. I was, frankly, getting burned out. Forgive my shallow faith! Help me wait expectantly on You consistently, so that You may replace my strength with Yours (Isaiah 40:31) and accomplish Your will in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!