Tag: sowing

• Hosea 8: The Whirlwind

  
  

  Hosea 8: The Whirlwind

  Monday, January 5, 2026

  Written on May 20, 2010 and posted today as a Favorite . . .

  When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind . . .

  Today’s Noontime is about thinking that we are in control and forgetting that God is the creator and manager of all. It is about making idols of the things we choose as important.  And it is about reaping what we sow.

  Psalm 126 is one of my favorites because it reminds us that nothing worthwhile comes to us without suffering; it is in the turmoil and struggle that we best meet God. Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves. 

  We cannot go much wrong if when we doubt we remain faithful to our relationship with God.

  We cannot go much wrong when if when we are discouraged we place all hope in the timeless healing Christ brings.

  We cannot go much wrong when if when we are angry we give our frustration over to the unifying force of the Spirit.

  We arrive on the earth with our little bag of seed to be sown. We search for fertile soil, sometimes forgetting that the best harvest is often reaped under our noses. We lament the conditions in which we find ourselves; we curse injustice when we hear bad news and we weep as we sow, wondering if anything we do has any positive effect upon outcomes.

  Hosea reminds us to stay clear of corruption and deceit. He tells us clear stories of others who thought they might keep their wicked transactions secret. He asks us to hug close to home as we labor in the fields, and he suggests that we keep the one true God ever in our hearts and minds.

  The wind goes where it likes, symbolizing freedom; yet, it is a freedom that comes at a high cost. Better to remain in the leeward protection of the Lord, Hosea says, so that when the reaper arrives, God will recognize us as those who have toiled long and faithfully in the Lord’s fields, and we not be swept away by the overpowering eddies of the whirlwind.

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  A re-post from January 15, 2019.

  Image from: https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/ and http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-tornado.htm

  39.533225 -76.430369

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  January 5, 2026

  harvesting, Psalm 126, reaping, sowing

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• Psalm 119:65-72: Teth

  
  

  Monday, January 25, 2021

  In these days when we continue to recover from social, political, medical, and emotional turmoil, we look to this longest chapter in Scripture for guidance. Today, joy follows mourning.

  Psalm 119:65-72

  Teth

  Teach me your wisdom and knowledge . . . It was good for me to be afflicted, in order to learn your laws . . .

  In this ninth strophe we near the middle of Psalm 119 and here the psalmist reaches out to God, asking for wisdom and knowledge specifically, promising to adhere to the Law of loving one another that Yahweh has written on our hearts. The psalmist expresses a truth we all know but often do not want to admit: we learn life’s lessons best when we are under siege or overwhelmed, and it is from this suffering that God calls forth joy.

  God says: I tell you frequently so of this you may be certain: I am with you always, I see your joys and sorrows, and I bring all manner of goodness out of the great harm that some of you plot. So put away any plans of deception and come to the truth. Honesty, authenticity, integrity and love will heal any rift. In my plan and in my time, my love transforms even the darkest of hearts. You may believe my goodness to be hidden . . . but it lives forever in your hearts.

  Rather than curse our painful circumstances, let us enter into God’s plan of inversion and allow our sorrow to lead us to the one who can heal the deepest of wounds. Let us allow God to love us infinitely and unconditionally.

  When the Lord restored our fortunes we thought we were dreaming. Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy . . . Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, with return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves.  (Psalm 126)

  Tomorrow, the letter Yodh.

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  For more information on the letter Teth and how it represents inversion and concealed good, go to: http://www.inner.org/hebleter/tet.htm or http://www.hebrewtoday.com/content/hebrew-alphabet-letter-tet-%D7%98

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  January 25, 2021

  concealed good, conversion, God’s goodness, knowledge, reaping, sorrow and joy, sowing, trust, wisdom

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• Luke 8:15: God’s Word

  
  

  Luke 8:15: God’s Word

  Wednesday, August 7, 2019

  Luke 8:15: But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

  This story is familiar to all of us – seed sowed among thorns, between rocks and along pathways.  Thistles and hard places do not nurture freedom and growth; they stifle the burgeoning spirit.  Tilled, irrigated soil is the better nest for promoting mercy and many of us do not have the benefit of this kind of gift. Yet all of us have God’s forgiveness no matter our actions. Each of us is called to goodness no matter our surroundings.   All of us are loved by God no matter our circumstances.

  Let us look for fertile soil in which we might grow . . . today and all days.

  Let us respond to God’s call . . . with the noble and good heart that is God-given

  Let us hear God’s Word . . . retain it, and persevere in it.

  And let us produce with our lives a good and gracious crop that we might return to our loving God.

  Select a word from the “word cloud” to the right, follow the link . . . and consider how we might respond to God’s Word and produce a good harvest.

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  A re-post from July 17, 2012.

  Image from: http://www.wallpaperpimper.com/wallpaper/download-wallpaper-Wheat_field_Landscapes_Others-size-1024×768-id-140565.htm

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  August 7, 2019

  fertile soil, harvesting, rocks, sowing, thorns

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