12 Sow righteousness for yourselves
and reap faithful love;
break up your unplowed ground.
It is time to seek the Lord… (Hosea 10:12a CSB)

Have you ever had the opportunity to watch the process of plowing a new field? It is quite interesting watching how the hard ground is broken up by the plow, the earth churned up so that fresh soil is left behind. This new plowed ground is ready for planting and primed for the plant.

Our lives also have unplowed ground that needs to be broken up. There are situations where our hearts can become a hard and stony ground that needs tending to become fresh again. It is difficult for us to sow righteousness and reap faithful love when our hearts are hard and cracked as a Texas field in the middle of summer.

The idea of plowing this hardened ground in our lives has always been a very apt visualization. We need to become broken about the hard parts of our lives, our tears moistening that soil and then God Word churns up the hard parts and His Spirit prepares fresh soil within us. This creates in us the ability to grow anew.

If we leave the ground untended, over time it becomes as hard as a stone with no acceptance of Gods love. It is time to seek the Lord.