TRUST VERSUS UNDERSTANDING

DAY 29 OF 365 IN 2021

Mark 4:26-29 Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time! (MSG)

Science has done its bit to attempt to explain the process of germination, at least from my biology, I can recall epigeal and hypogeal germination. We won’t bother about what each means because the process by which a seed growth is much more fascinating than the picture science will paint. Sometimes, we try our best to understand the things of God but to no avail. It’s as though we come to a point where our efforts to understand should actually translate into trust.

We read from Genesis that after God created that earth, it was commanded ‘to bring forth’ and it responded (1:11). This set of instruction, spoken from the beginning of time, is the principle that guides the sowing of seeds. Not science, but the expectation that within a given set of conditions, a seed sown will grow.

There are two lines in the lyrics of the song ‘New wine’ by hillsong and it says

“so I yield to You into Your careful hands, when I trust you I don’t need to understand”.

This statement might sound like a gamble, but it is far from that. It is the expression of trust. As logical creatures, intent on exercising our senses, we always want to understand. Everything must make sense, logically.

However, with God, Trust appears to override understanding. When we get to know His ways, His abilities, purposes and reasons; things we may not understand, we still need to trust. For the sower trusts the seed to germinate in specific conditions, not because he is experienced, but because there are coded instructions for both the earth and seed to respond in a specific way. The LORD is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see (Psalm 118:23)

You don’t have to see it to believe it, for when you Trust God, you don’t always need to understand.

#sly