Ready to Go, God
Thousands upon thousands of dollars have already been spent on replacement parts and maintenance, hundreds upon hundreds of hours have already been spent repairing equipment and servicing the tractors which will pull the equipment and hundreds of thousands of dollars of seed, fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides have been purchased and are waiting in the storehouses for use . . . and it continues to rain. You do not need a drone to check out the fields around here right now: They are wet.
If you have ever wondered if people still pray, stand near a closed shed door with a farmer this time of year as another round of rain covers the earth. Oh, the rain may be pretty and the smell of a Spring rain may be absolutely intoxicating, but every thought, every word, which emanates from a farmer who is ready to start tillage and cannot because of rain is a prayer from their lips to God's ears.
Watch their eyes. They may look up as though checking the clouds but, truth be told, they are peering much deeper into the heavens watching to see if God is observing their misery. The heart of a farmer languishes when sidelined in the shed because of wet weather, "We've done everything we can do to get ready to work with You, Lord, now how about returning the favor?" It is not so much a complaint as a suggestion, a wonderment. 'Could it be that God did not get the memo about the investment I have made to plant a crop this year?', as the farmer looks down and moves his foot, the water from the puddle he just stepped in is leaking into his shoe from the cracks on the side of the sole, another reminder that farmers are not in charge of everything. Just don't tell them that.
Some farmers in this area have been noting the changing nature of the environment as seasons seem to be shifting from the way things used to be, others just philosophically dismiss the changes as the normal course of the earth adjusting to a new age, while still others write down every day's meteorological events seeking to work hand in hand with history as they pursue planting a future. No two farmers are the same, yet a rainy early Spring day will inevitably find nearly all of them at the door of their shop or shed wondering when the next time will be that they can finally fire up their engines and breathe in that first breath of diesel exhaust and listen to the smooth firing of those cylinders powering up to make a pass in the fields. It is an agricultural junkie's fix waiting to happen, stymied by another loss of opportunity.
God knows. After all, God is the One who put the call to farm in the hearts of those who love the vocation and God is the one who feeds their hunger to feed the world. Were that not true, they would not pray so hard: Prayer is their direct line of communication, no other commodity brokers needed. A farmer deals directly with Management, perhaps like no other person on earth. Farmers are the high priests of stewardship and global accountability, and the partnership they have with the One who is the Creator is that of spouses on a lifelong journey: Sometimes they hear one another, sometimes not, but always they are as one in doing what needs to be done, a witness to the world of the love they have for each other, the respect they give to each other and the awe that absolutely captivates their souls when working hand-in-hand with each other. It is a relationship which defines the vision others might only imagine . . . . and, today, the relationship is a bit stressed. But, it will survive.
Patience may be a virtue, yet an eagerness to till the earth is a force like no other. So, the farmer prays and waits. Answers always come, they always have. The sun will shine and the ground will dry . . . and, in due time, the farmer will pray for rains to come again. It is the cycle of a good marriage, is it not?
For today we pray, giving thanks that we are ready and hoping that all of our preparation will hold up out in the field when, finally, we are able to go . . . which is another prayer waiting in the hopper.
Thank you, God, for giving us time and opportunity to hone our prayer life again this year. It is You who makes life worth the journey. Help us to exercise the kind of patience with You and your ways that we pray you exercise with us in our ways . . . and may Your Will always be done, in earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
Something to ponder on the journey . . . .
(c)dcw2020
