God's Promise...

'But you, O mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and give your fruit for My people Israel.

For they will come home soon.

See, I care for you and will show you favor.

You will be plowed and planted.

I will cause the people to become many, all the people of Israel.

People will live in the cities, and the places that have been destroyed will be built again.

I will give you many people and animals, and they will have many young ones.

You will be full of people as you were before.

And I will do more good to you than ever before.

Then you will know that I am the Lord.'

Ezekial 36:8-11

This was my devotions yesterday...I've read the passage a couple of times before, but yesterday the promises jumped out.

I love the promise that the people of Israel are coming soon. And that God will use our fruit to draw them.

And the part that ministered to me the most was the part that says, 'I care about you & will show my favor to you. You will be plowed & planted. It made me interested in the definition.

It was a revelation from God:

Plow:
An agricultural implement used for cutting, lifting, turning over, and partly pulverizing soil.

I don't know about you, but this seems like a painful process!!

Hosea 6 says:

'Come, let us return to the LORD.He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us;

he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. '

Its because He cares about me that he plows up my fallow ground. He knows there are things in my life that can & will destroy me if He does not cut those things out.

Just like soil that needs to be tilled and rid of the things that will choke the life of the harvest, so does God need to rid my life of the things that will choke out my life! And even though those trials we go through seem overwhelming to us, He knows that we must go through it to change us! I am so amazed at the faithfulness of God!

Plant:
To establish or implant
to deposit
to insert or set firmly in
to place with great force, firmness, or determination

to station; post

to locate; situate

to establish
to settle (persons)

Its only after I allow him to plow my life, can he plant in me the seeds that will make me grow. Only when I surrender to his hand will i see the deposits of life, abundance, healing, joy, victory, growth, maturity, tenderness & peace!

My heart is that you see God's hand in all situations, even the difficult ones, because its his GREAT love for us that allows us to go through those things!!