Isaiah 61:11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.

This is an interesting image that deserves some real reflection. Garden soil does not force seeds to sprout, it simply provides the right conditions and the right nourishment for them to do so. God does not force righteousness and praise to spring up, but when we are planted in Him, that will be the natural result. Any time seeds and planting are mentioned in the Bible, Jesus famous parable of the seeds and soil comes to mind. It’s recorded in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. In that, the seed is the Word of God and the soil is human hearts. Here, the soil is God Himself, and it would seem that we are the seed. This also brings to mind the Fruit of the Spirit, as Paul talks about in Galatians 5:22-23. In all of these, however, there isn’t coercion, or even significant effort, but a natural progression. The lesson from this verse is that if we don’t see much righteousness and praise appearing in our lives, we need to be sure we are planted in the Lord. Just as the father didn’t force the Prodigal Son to stay, but rather waited for him to come to his senses, (Luke 15) even so God doesn’t force us to abide in Him. Much of what Jesus said in the Upper Room Discourse was related to this very issue, and there He used the famous illustration of the vine and the branches. (John 15) When we are worried over what fruit we are producing, we simply need to reaffirm our commitment to abide in Christ. That’s not a struggle, that’s resting, a state of being.

This is something I’m continuing to learn. I’ve had my times of not being concerned about what fruit I was producing, and times of despair that I wasn’t producing the fruit that I thought I should. God says that both of those are foolish. Several years ago now He told me to rest, relax, and rejoice. You’d think I’d know how by now! I am not to be lazy, but the focus of my effort should be to go deeper into Christ, allowing Him to be manifested through me. The more I’m caught up in “I’ve got to do it,” the less good fruit will be produced. When I am focused on me and my circumstances, I get short tempered and open myself up to all sorts of tricks and traps of the devil. When I am focused on my Lord and how wonderful He is, then I am obedient to Him and there’s no stopping the praise that wells up from my heart.

Father, You continue to allow circumstances to teach me this in greater measure. Thank You. Today is a high pressure day in a number of ways. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You each moment, however busy my body might be. May I be an open channel of Your grace and peace to those around me, rather than an irritant and goad. May I take each task in turn, not being anxious about things down the line but trusting You to provide whatever strength and wisdom are required when they are called for, so that Your purposes may be accomplished in and through me in every detail, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!