Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

We never conquer what we are unwilling to confront, and I find it interesting how, in the armor of God, the only area it isn’t meant to defend is our backs. This is because God never intended us to run away from our giants. Just like King David, when he faced Goliath, we must run towards the enemy. God will never put us in a situation he hasn’t already given us the tools to overcome. Remember, everything that happens is part of God’s plan, and He is always there to guide us.

So, why, then, do bad things happen to good people? To answer that, I want to discuss a parable Jesus told in Matthew 13. It speaks of a farmer who went out and planted wheat in his field. He did the right thing; he sowed good seed and expected the wheat to come up and have a great harvest like he’d seen year after year. But in a few months, he saw not only wheat but also weeds coming up everywhere. When the workers saw them, they were puzzled and asked the farmer, “What happened? You didn’t sow these; we saw you plant good seeds; we saw you prepare the soil. This doesn’t make sense”. The farmer answers in verse 28, saying, “An enemy came in at night and planted these weeds.” It wasn’t the farmer’s fault; he had to sleep; it wasn’t like he was lazy, slacking off, not watching over his land. He did the right thing, but the wrong thing still happened.

Just because you have difficulties doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. You may have sown good seed, you’ve been faithful, you honor God, you give, you serve, you go the extra mile, but now you have some weeds in your field, things you didn’t sow. You don’t understand it. You raised your child right, but they’ve gotten off course. You could blame yourself, “What did I do wrong”? You didn’t do anything wrong. The enemy came in at night and sowed some weeds. Or you worked hard in your business, got there early, stayed late, and did more than you had to, but had a setback, lost a client or a competitor moved in and took some of your business. You could be frustrated, wondering: why this happened? These are weeds sown by the enemy. Or maybe you eat right, exercise, and take good care of your body, but you are still dealing with sickness.

Remember, you have weeds in your life because the enemy knows you will have a great harvest. He wouldn’t have snuck in at night and planted the weeds if he didn’t know abundance was coming, healing was coming, promotion was coming, and the right people were coming. Don’t get discouraged over the weeds. They are a sign that something amazing is in your future. The enemy would not have wasted his time sowing weeds into your field if you weren’t destined for greater things, destined for new levels, destined to take your family where they’ve never been. So, take heart, for your challenges are a testament to the greatness that awaits you. When someone wrongs you, get in the habit of praising God for the promise in Isaiah 61:7 to pay you back double for all the wrongs done to you.

When the workers saw all the weeds in the field, they asked the farmer, “Should we go pull up these weeds”? He said, “No if you pull up the weeds, you will damage the wheat. Let them grow together, and when the harvest is ready, they’ll be separated.” You see, the workers wanted to fix the problem; they wanted to help get rid of these weeds, but this farmer said, “Leave them alone. You didn’t sow the weed, and you don’t have to pull up the weed”. If the workers had been stubborn, thinking, “We’re not going to let these weeds stay; we’re going to fix this problem.” If the workers had taken matters into their own hands, they would have ruined the harvest.

I can imagine the farmer seeing those weeds every day. It had to have bothered him, “I don’t like these weeds, things are out of order, people are going to think I’m lazy, I’m not a good farmer. I need to make this right.” He had to fight the temptation to pull up the weeds daily, which was something he could have done. He had the ability to correct the problem, but he knew it would have damaged his harvest if he did. It takes great faith to leave things alone. When you take your hands off and do not pull up what you know you can fix but instead let God take care of it, that’s not a lack of faith; that’s great faith. When you say, “God, I trust you with my weeds. I trust you with the things I don’t understand, and I won’t get in a hurry and try to fix things that will damage my harvest. I’m going to leave them alone.” That’s a powerful position!

Maybe today there are weeds in your life, things you don’t understand, you know you didn’t sow them, the enemy came in at night. You could live worried and feel pressured to pull up the weeds and fix the problem, change this person, or manipulate this situation. There’s an urgency saying, “Do it now; these weeds aren’t right.” But God says, “Be still, and let me take care of it.” That’s not your battle: you didn’t sow it; you don’t have to pull it up. One of the greatest tests we will ever face is to be still and know that He is God, to leave things in His hands.

Remember, you may get something done by doing it your way, forcing things, manipulating, and striving, but it will be less than God’s very best. You must know that when your harvest is ready at the right time, God will take care of your weeds, turn your child around, vindicate you in front of your enemies, and promote you to levels you never saw coming. So, today, I want to encourage you to be patient and to trust in God’s perfect timing.

On the way to your Promised Land, where God is taking you, there will be detours, people who do you wrong, and times when you don’t see how it can work out. You don’t have the provision, the dream looks impossible, and the obstacle is too big. You’ll be tempted to worry, to live stressed out. I encourage you to stay in peace. As God did for Israelites who wandered the desert for forty years, He’s carrying you until you reach your destination. You’re in your Father’s arms. He’s holding you tightly, and nothing can snatch you away.