Do Not Be Afraid to Sow That Urgently Needed Seed

“And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ “ (I Kings 17:13, 14 NKJV)
Seed is meant for sowing and not to be eaten.  It is not to satisfy today’s hunger but to ensure a hunger-free tomorrow.  Because of the tyranny of the urgent and the gestation period for what is sown, the temptation to misapply seeds are often very high. All those who eat their seed today would have nothing to harvest tomorrow; and all who, like the ‘five wise virgins’, are disciplined enough to plant rather than eat their seed, usually become the envy of the foolish majority. What is often overlooked is the fact that while the one whose attention is the immediate makes a delicious meal of his seed, the  one who chooses to sow his seed waits patiently and trusts God who does not only make the seed germinate, but also monitors it as it delivers a bumper harvest later.
One of the factors militating against sowing quality seed is fear, particularly the fear of the unknown. What if the seed gets killed by the heat of the soil? What if enough rain does not fall to water it? What if rodents or pests pick it from the soil before it has the chance to germinate? What if wild animals come around to destroy it before the harvest time? Is my seed of the right size and quality to make the crops tangible? The questions are endless. What we find at the end of ‘Fear Tunnel’ is the death of a dream and a vision; the erosion of possibilities and opportunities.
Prophet Elijah in the above text, urged the widow never to tolerate the spirit of fear of the unknown, but to take the bold step and sow the precious seed into God’s kingdom by giving priority to meeting the needs of God’s servant; her own needs and those of her son notwithstanding. The available food stuff was very small and limited by the calculation of man but not for God. The same thing happened in the gospel account of St John. The disciples never considered the seed of the little boy – the five barley loaves and two small fish, which probably was his dinner – adequate enough to be a great source of blessing to the hungry crowd which were in their thousands. Andrew was even bold enough to confess in verse 9 of John chapter 6 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are  they among so many?” (John 6:5, 9 NKJV) God’s name be praised that the lad did not withhold the tiny or “inconsequential” seed.
The issue of Christian giving is a very sensitive one, so sensitive that many shy away from it. The priest however has the responsibility of teaching the whole counsel of God. The word of God teaches that God blesses you so you can be a blessing to His work and His workers. If you cast your mind back to the last TEN YEARS, of the seeds God has brought within your reach, what have you sown into the lives, families and ministries of God’s workers? In what church project have you been financially or professionally involved? The Shunammite woman provided regular meals, and later had her husband build a guest apartment for Elisha, the prophet (2 Kings 4: 1ff) and God blessed her with a son in her old age, saved her and her family from a seven-year famine and had her landed property restored to her at the end of the seven years (2Kings 8:1ff).
God, in His mercy and benevolence, has placed that seed in your hand. You are free to use it to buy a new car, a new holiday flat in Dubai, a new set of furniture. You also have the opportunity to sow the seed in God’s work in the mission field so that someone would have an opportunity to receive the Gospel and be saved and in Heaven, he/she will tell the Lord that you unlocked the gate of Heaven for him/her. You could sow into the church’s outreach programmes amongst the youths, the poor, the talented, but without opportunities for advancement in the socio-economic or educational ladder. You could also sow into student work so that when your son goes to the university, he would not return to you on vacation with one ring on his ear or competing with his sisters in hairdo!
The tiny seed in your hand is good enough for God to effect a great change in your destiny. Sow it now as you receive divine command to do so. God does not owe anybody. He is willing, able and ready to take us to that enviable level of glory and honor, if we are courageous enough to commit that precious tiny seed to His mighty hands. It takes a very special grace of generosity to do this. No wonder Paul prayed for the Corinthians in the 8th chapter of his second letter, that the grace of generosity found among Macedonia Christians might be found in their midst also. He said to them: “But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us— see that you abound in this grace also. (II Corinthians 8:7 NKJV) We do not need to have the whole world under our control before we make that seed available for God’s use.
As we determine to defile all odds to commit that seed into God’s hand, it is our sincere prayer for you today that “God will multiply the seeds you have sown and the ones you will sow and increase the fruits of your righteousness in Jesus name”. Amen
Have a fruitful week of bountiful harvest as you sow cheerfully into God’s work and His workers!

Your brother, Vicar & Archdeacon
Igein Isemede