The Challenge of Trust by Dudley Hall

      The young farmer had barely survived his first experience of a freeze-out, eternal winter.  It had lasted so long that his family had to use some of their seed corn to eat.  Spring was around the corner, but snow was still patchy on the ground and there was a chill in the air.  It was time to till the ground and plant for fall's harvest, yet the young farmer felt paralyzed.  This seed was so precious, and burying it in the ground was a huge risk! His family could make bread out of the seed and eat for several weeks.  What if the seed didn't grow?  What if the blight got it?

      The farmer was facing the challenge of trust.  He knew that if he didn't start to plant soon, there would not be a harvest.  On the other hand, planting the seed meant that he couldn't use it for his family's immediate well-being.

      Many in today's economy are paralyzed.  They are holding back the resources they would have given away in previous years because they aren't sure when things will get better. Fear has produced the lie that they have to hold back to protect their resources.  Actually, the safest and surest strategy is to give even more.  The God who established the order of created things has enforced the plant-cultivate-harvest cycle since Noah got off the ark.  The farmer knows it is his only hope. The believer knows God is faithful.  Those who confront their fears and plant during challenging times will be providing bread for others soon.

     We are not of this world, though we live in it.  This is our opportunity to show the superiority of the kingdom we represent.