Planting in the Dust

There’s an old saying that goes, “Plant in the dust?your bins will bust.” As many of these adages go, they’re true some of the time. (As I write this devotion on the last day of March, I realize that March came in like a lion, and is certainly not leaving like a lamb.)

In the spring of 2002, farmers in this area planted in the dust, and not only did their bins not bust that fall, there was no harvest at all. Sometimes old adages don’t fit perfectly.

As we read today’s psalm, God’s people were looking for a similar outcome in their difficult times – sow in tears, reap with joy. The psalmist recalls an extended drought of freedom when the nation was exiled to Babylon for 70 years. The joy of that homecoming was still remembered in verse and song.

Although the bins didn’t bust that fall, farmers planted again the following spring. Farmers need to have faith that the rains will eventually come. People of God need to have faith and hope for the future as well. The rains may not come exactly as desired, but they will come?they will come.

Lord, in times of sorrow, remind us of former joys and give us a glimpse of the joy yet to come. Amen. — ACS