Learning Surrender From a Farmer
My favorite farmer tugs the string on a stitched bag, opening a new season of hope.
The farmer’s repeated refrain echoes in my chest again: “God’s got it.”
That’s the only way we can plant anything in this world: knowing that God’s got it.
We can cultivate soil and dress fields for planting. We can buy the designer seeds and use GPS technology to apply the fertilizer.
But the real power of beginnings — the Genesis of all we do — erupts from “God’s-Got-It.”
“In the beginning, God …”
At the edge of an Iowa field, on a clear spring morning, my favorite farmer plant seeds today. And he relies on dirt and life-sustaining breath of God to do the hard work.
***
Then God said,
“Let the land produce vegetation. …
And God saw that it was good.”
— Genesis 1:11, 12
God “let” it.
He is the One who declared it so, the One who “let” it. Then He saw it, and He labeled it all good.
Yes, “God’s got it” — not just in the fields, but in our homes and churches and neighborhoods and soccer fields and cubicles and classrooms.
Genesis power pulses within us, by way of a God who knelt down, scooped dirt into His hands and breathed very life into us.
Oh, that I would remember that “God’s got it” in all areas of life. Oh, that I would not attempt to take place of very God. Might I let go, and “let God?”
Instead, I ….
convince the husband,
persuade the children,
alter the circumstances,
change her mind,
save the world (single-handedly!),
fix the friend,
coax God,
prompt the response,
control the outcome,
fall in a heap of utter exhaustion.
I want Farmer-Style Surrender.
A farmer has no choice but to surrender to the God who swells the seed with the warmth of His breath. The farmer opens Earth, drop seeds and leaves the rest to a Genesis God who carries things to completion.
Yes, I want Farmer-Style Surrender.
On the edge of a field, as my favorite farmer plants first seeds and new beginnings, God whispers Truth, Spirit to spirit:
“You plant some seeds, Jennifer, and I’ll handle the rest. Let go, let Me. I’ve got it.”
Each Wednesday, I join Ann Voskamp as we Walk With Him. Weekly, we explore spiritual practices that draw us nearer to the heart of God. This week, we consider: “Cultivating the Life God Desires.” And I am reminded that I can cultivate the life, and I can plant some seeds, but I need to leave the rest to the God who’s got it.
And Father? When you look upon all that You’ve made,
may You find it very, very good.
Countless times a day I find my mind saying "let go and let God"…
Amen!
I have to keep reminding myself it is my job to pray and GODS job to take over and do the rest…I MUST leave it with HIM!
Thanks for sharing this! God's got it! I'm going to post that on my mirror and on my desk just to remind me of where my faith needs to be!
"let go, let Me"
For if we cling too tight to other things we won't have room enough or strength enough to fully grasp His hands…
Blessings.
One of the sayings I cling to is "Let God Deal."
But I may be adding your's to my vocabulary, "God's Got It!"
Amen.
Being a hard-core control freak, how I LONG for that Farmer-Style Surrender in my life…..
you breath such life and truth into those photos, Jennifer.
Surrender … that's hard isn't it? I have to work on that one day by day.
Blessings,
Catherine 🙂
Farmer style surrender–yes ma'm! That's what I want! Thanks for this great post!
Hugs!
Susan
Yes! Yes Jennifer! I needed these words just at this very moment! I seriously need to let Go and "let God.
Beautifully Written!
Farmer-Style surrender. I want that too.
(Shoot, weren't you just harvesting?)
Feeling these words deeply in my life these days, "I am reminded that I can cultivate the life, and I can plant some seeds, but I need to leave the rest to the God who's got it." Learning to "let God" with my husband, my children, myself. This is so vivid a picture to me as I have been cultivating and planting our little family garden these last few weeks. Thanks you Jennifer!
Hi Jennifer! I just wanted to say thanks for your comment at the Internet Cafe Devotions today. It encouraged me.
And it's fun to read your post today because I grew up on a farm in Illinois and can totally relate to what you said. Beautiful!
Jennifer,
I really like your reading of that Genesis passage, and your focus specifically on the word "let." Sometimes I read those too-familiar passages too carelessly and miss the deep meaning in each word. Thanks for bringing it to light for me today.
Sometimes that letting go is sooo hard to do. But God can't move in a situation if we're holding tightly to it.
You speak great wisdom, Jennifer!
Praying for a bountiful harvest in your fields, your home, and your lives as you surrender all to the Lord…
All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Refrain
I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
Powerful imagery; powerful truth… I want farmer-style surrender as well. In many ways, I've dropped some seed in recent days; now it is completely up to God to grow them as he will and only as he can.
Thanks for being my blogging friend. I am better for having your "words" in my life. They minister to me greatly.
peace~elaine
I want that farmer-style surrender, too. It's a hard-won faith, the sort that can stand up to whatever droughts and storms may come.
If Jesus were to come to this country in this age instead of Israel two thousand years ago, His disciples wouldn't be fishermen. They'd be farmers.
God bless your crop this year, whether the seeds you plant are in the ground or the hearts of others.
What familiar pics…we're seeing the same things these days. Tractors and dirt! :o) Thank you for the idea of just letting God do his thing and for us to realize where we really get too involved with making His decisions!
I'm hoping I'm still planting seeds. I still have a heart for surrender. I can be so stubborn in my relationship with God, so stubborn and so unaware.
This post was a great reminder of the great release and the beauty that come from letting go.
~ Wendy
Thank you for the beautiful ways you speak into our hearts. Right now I really need to learn to surrender everything and have patience for God's will in my life. God knew how much I need to read your post today.
~Audrey
Wow…this was an amazin entry. Thanks so much for sharing it. We need to plants the seeds and God will do the rest!
Every picture on this post is so familiar to me. We must be neighbors 🙂 I like your husbands attitude. "God's got it." I'm going to remember that for a long time, hopefully forever. Beautifully written post!
We are at a time in our lives right now where it's so hard for me to put it in God's hands. Hubby may not have his job for much longer. It's a bad situation for him now.
And at times I find myself thinking about is the morgage, food, medical bills and a ton of other things that will happen if we do not have income coming in.
Deep down, I know God has this, He always has. But every now and then I let my mind wonder about all the what if's.
I got give it to Him and leave it there. Please say a pray for our situation sweet friend.
Kee