But the land into which you are about to cross to possess, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.
Deuteronomy 11:11-12
As I was meditating this morning upon this verse which I have recently memorized, I was encouraged about how the Lord watches over His kingdom and those trees of the field and vines of His vineyard that are found there. For His eyes are always on them, from the beginning even to the end of the year. And just as these physical plantings of the Lord have an annual season of growth in which He provides the early and the latter rains at just the right time so the land is very fruitful and yields its harvest at the appropriate time, so is it of those spiritual plantings of the Lord. For in the same way He provides the early and the latter rains of the Spirit, spiritual outpourings of His mercy and grace at just the right time so as to encourage the spiritual growth of His people so that His kingdom will bear its spiritual fruit and yield its harvest in the fullness of God’s most perfect time, both corporately for the body and individually for each individual member.
I am encouraged to have faith and trust in His care, that just as there are times of drought between those early and latter rains when the sun shines down so hot and intense that we might wonder how the plantings can possibly survive, but that in fact during this time the plant is forced to send its roots down deep in search of water and to become firmly established, so too are there spiritual times of drought between the rains of God’s Spirit when trial and temptation test our faith and cause us to wonder how we can possibly survive and continue to abide in this land. I am encouraged because I know that the eyes of the Lord are always on this land, from the beginning even to the end of the year, even during those times of drought and that in the same way by His loving provision He is forcing His spiritual plantings to send their roots down deep in search of that spiritual water that will sustain and firmly establish them in His kingdom of righteousness.
O Father, grant us daily to grow in faith to always trust in your loving provision and believe you when you say that you care for this land of promise into which we have crossed over to possess and your eyes are always on it. Help us to have faith even in the midst of those times of drought between the rains of your Spirit and to persevere and endure. Help us send our roots down deep to find the water you provide that will sustain and strengthen us, so that we might be very fruitful and yield a harvest of righteousness in the fullness of time that will bring glory and honor and praise to you. Amen.