Are You Praying for Crop Failure?

It’s been said that if we reap what we sow, most of us should pray for crop failure. As someone who grew up in the Delta of eastern Arkansas, I can relate to the expression.

My parents weren’t farmers, but my grandparents and many in my extended family were, and agriculture was the driving force in our rural community. If the farmers had a bad year, everyone had a bad year.

Some things (like the weather) are out of a farmer’s control, but they all decide what they will sow. And not a single one of them sows Johnsongrass or nutsedge when they are trying to grow cotton. In our spiritual lives, however, we way-too-often sow seeds that yield crops we don’t want to reap.

You won’t find the “pray for crop failure” wording in the Bible, but scripture says plenty about the concept of sowing and reaping, including this warning: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)

So as men of Jesus, we are wise to be careful about what we sow.

Sow righteousness, reap love and more righteousness

The prophet Hosea offered some sage advice, because, well, that’s what prophets do.

“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:13)

We sow righteousness by seeking the Lord, but that’s not what the folks in Ephraim (the northern kingdom of Israel) were doing back then.

“But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception.” (Hosea 10:14a)

The people, Hosea said, were depending on their own “strength” and their “many warriors,” therefore they weren’t depending on God and focusing on true righteousness. Thus they missed out on God’s blessings.

Sow love, reap the fruits of the Spirit

While Hosea tells us we can reap God’s “unfailing love” if we sow righteousness, the Apostle Paul tells us we can also turn around and sow the love we’re reaping and thereby reap the fruit of the Spirit.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13)

How do we serve one another humbly in love? By walking in the Spirit, Paul says, and by not sowing seeds that feed our fleshly desires.

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

And what happens when we walk in the Spirit? We experience His fruit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Sow goodness, reap life

When we sow to please the “flesh,” Paul says, we reap destruction. But when we sow to “please the Spirit,” then from the Spirit we reap “eternal life.” (Galatians 6:8)

We please the Spirit when we are the hands and feet of Jesus, but it’s good to remember that it can take time for the fruit to fully mature and ripen.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:9-10)

Interestingly, however, our works only produce good fruit if we’re in the Spirit. The “works of the flesh” that Paul describes in Galatians 5 (promiscuity, idolatry, jealousy, selfish ambitions and the like) are all things we “do” by and for ourselves (our actions) whereas the fruits of the Spirit are all things we experience by abiding in Christ (His grace).

Works of the Flesh = Our power and by our works.

Works of the Spirit = God’s power and His work through us.

Sow tears, reap joy

Jesus told us that in this world we “will have trouble” (John 16:33). Regardless of whether we created our troubles or they are partly from outside forces, we can take them to the Lord and reap peace and joy.

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” (Psalms 126:5-6)

The reality is that we are going to mess up. We’re going to fail. We’re going to find ourselves in storms we didn’t create. And we’re going to feel like we want to cry because we believe the lie that we’re just not good enough to do what we think God wants us to do.

Take heart, Jesus says, because that’s the world talking, and He has overcome the world. (Again, John 16:33)

It’s comforting to remember that if we just keep sowing into Jesus, He will take care of the fruit and we won’t need to pray for crop failure.