Thursday, July 3, 2008

The Master Plowman

Master Plowman

"Doth the plowman plow all day to sow?" (Isa. 28:24).

One day in early summer I walked past a beautiful meadow. The grass was as soft and thick and fine as an immense green Oriental rug. In one corner stood a fine old tree, a sanctuary for numberless wild birds; the crisp, sweet air was full of their happy songs. Two cows lay in the shade, the very picture of content.
Down by the roadside the saucy dandelion mingled his gold with the royal purple of the wild violet.
I leaned against the fence for a long time, feasting my hungry eyes, and thinking in my soul that God never made a fairer spot than my lovely meadow.

The next day I passed that way again, and lo! the hand of the despoiler had been there. A plowman and his great plow, now standing idle in the furrow, had in a day wrought a terrible havoc. Instead of the green grass there was turned up to view the ugly, bare, brown earth; instead of the singing birds there were only a few hens industriously scratching for worms. Gone were the dandelion and the pretty violet. I said in my grief, "How could any one spoil a thing so fair?"
Then my eyes were opened by some unseen hand, and I saw a vision, a vision of a field of ripe corn ready for the harvest. I could see the giant, heavily laden stalks in the autumn sun; I could almost hear the music of the wind as it would sweep across the golden tassels. And before I was aware, the brown earth took on a splendor it had not had the day before.
Oh, that we might always catch the vision of an abundant harvest, when the great Master Plowman comes, as He often does, and furrows through our very souls, uprooting and turning under that which we thought most fair, and leaving for our tortured gaze only the bare and the unbeautiful. --Selected

Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that maketh the deep furrows on my soul? I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop. --Samuel Rutherford

~Streams in the Desert~

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you Lacey for posting this wonderful post this morning! It was just what I needed hear!! I appreciate how you consistently post things that have spoken, and ministered to you that they might minister to others! Thank you So... much! Your blog has spoken to me so... many times, and I'm sorry I havn't gotten on here so much recently!

Loving, and Missing you!
Bekah

Lacey said...

Oh, I'm glad, Bekah! It seems like I have been lacking in the area of "meaty" posts, but I read this one morning and thought it was good. Streams in the Desert is SUCH a wonderful devotional! It just has some great thoughts and encouragement. We receive the e-mails through Back to the Bible. You should sign up as well. I might post another one that I read--it was good too! Thank you for your loving words of encouragement, Bekah! Your summer has probably been busier than EVER!! :-) Thanks for posting and please do so again!!

Love,
Lace