Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIV
Not Plant, Not Reap
In Canada, agriculture is an important industry. Only about 7 per cent of Canada’s land can be farmed. Other marginal (poorer) land can be used to ranch cattle. Aquaculture operations are found on the East and West Coasts and in the Great Lakes. Some crops, such as tomatoes, peppers and flowers are grown in greenhouses in urban centres. Canadian agriculture faces many challenges. Some of these challenges concern crop protection, soil conservation, labour, climate change, and health.
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One of the principles of the Kingdom of God is that it extends the fastest in some of the most challenging places. We see that regularly – where there is severe persecution, the Church flourishes. Two of the fastest-growing national Churches these days are in Iran and Afghanistan. Who would have thought that? The more the antagonism to the Gospel, the more open people are to Jesus. This is a Biblical principle. In Ecclesiastes 11:4, we read, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” It is natural to think “things are not easy to be a follower of Jesus. I think I’ll just keep my faith to myself and hunker down with other believers in our holy huddle.” This is what Ecclesiastes is warning us about, however. When we keep our eyes on the challenges – the wind and the clouds – we will never plant and never reap a harvest. Instead, it is exactly when things are dark and stormy that we need to be about sharing Jesus with others. As we do, we are promised a great harvest – seeing many come to know the One who is with us, and will be with them, in the midst of the storm.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley