HashKama: The Planting of the Lord

A couple of months ago at least, my wife said that she would like two tomato plants for the garden.  Through circumstances, we haven’t done any gardening for years, apart from mowing the grass and trimming the hedges.

We kept forgetting to buy the plants until one day, strolling around a garden centre, we came face to face with tomato plants, so we promptly purchased two.  My wife told me where she wanted them in the garden, so I did as I was instructed, and set about planting them.  The weather wasn’t too bad, so I thought I would leave them day or two before tying them to stakes.  That night, while we were sleeping, the wind got up, blowing quite strongly.  When we got up in the morning, I went out to check that the tomato plants were ok.  My heart sank somewhat.  One of the plants had snapped at the stem, couple of inches above ground level.  There was a slither of skin keeping the stem attached.  I was bending down to pull the whole lot out when the thought entered my mind.  What if I stood the top of the plant back onto the bottom stem and tied it to a stake; would it survive and grow?  Not thinking about taking a “before” photo, I put a stake into the ground, placed the top of the plant onto the bottom stem, and tied it in place.  Miraculously, in my eyes, the plant grew!  You would never know that it had been broken, and to all accounts, in a state of death.  I took the attached photo this morning.  There are flowers on the plant, and two tomatoes.  You can see one of them on the plant that is right of the photo.  Interestingly, the plant that withstood the wind and didn’t break, has flowers, but no fruit as yet.

Next to the tomatoes we have a grapevine.  I haven’t tended it much in recent years, but this year I have been trimming it back.  This year there are several bunches of grapes growing. Seeing what is happening in the garden, it has just reminded me that the Father is the gardener, and the keeper of the vineyard (John 1:51), and that Jesus is the true vine.  The Father cuts off the branches in Him that do not bear fruit.  He prunes those branches to make it more fruitful.

There are many spiritual messages, but I do not have time to build on them now.  Those who are interested enough to read this small offering will be capable of seeing much more for themselves.  To me, the tomato plant was a miracle.  It is life out of death, and so much more besides.  If you are feeling broken and hope-less, God can lift you up and put your life together again, so that you not only live, but that you also bear fruit.

“So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” A tree so planted will not fear when heat comes, it will not experience damage from the blazing heats of summer, its leaf remains green, and it will yield fruit in season (Isaiah 61:3).

Blessing and shalom

Malcolm [23.07.2021]