How Fat is Your Cow?

It's unfortunate for me that the Bible uses farming and agricultural metaphors so often, considering I struggle to even grow a beard. Ok, that's not completely true, it's just a little patchy, but when it comes to getting anything to come up out of the ground, I'm inept. My wife, on the other hand, loves planting flowers and vegetables. She grew up in a rural community where having a garden in your backyard was common. I did not. So when I came home one day in the first year of our marriage and found a squash the size of my pinky finger sitting on the ground my mind was blown. I was a grown man in his twenties absolutely astounded that we were able to produce food out of our own sweat and toil (and by we I mean Jill).

I quickly picked it, put it on a plate in the kitchen, and waited for Jill to come home so we could eat the spoils of our labor. When Jill walked in she immediately asked, "Why did you pick that!?" Feeling slightly offended, considering I had picked up dinner for us (literally), I said, "So we can eat it..." Her response: "Zach, that squash is nowhere near ready. It's tiny. You picked it too soon." My impatience strikes again.

THE WORD

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

-James 5:7-8

I HATE waiting. But I know nothing good comes quickly. How we wait is just as important as what we're waiting for. It's what you do in the meantime that reveals if you will truly value the end result.

I love that James instructs us to wait well in the midst of suffering and heartache. The context of his entire letter to the new testament believers is to encourage them in their faith while they are facing the most dire situations. But he doesn't just instruct us to wait, he encourages us to wait like farmers.

If you've ever met a farmer you've met a different breed of person. They take their cues from the sun and the seasons. A disciplined person may plan out their week with meetings and meal prep, but farmers plan with months and years in mind. Waiting is woven into their life and yet they never stop working. How is it possible to wait so much and yet work so hard?

That's because waiting doesn't always mean sitting. Patience is not synonymous with stillness, though I believe stillness is vitally important."Wait" is a verb, and a verb is an action. So waiting is an active expression that by definition means something is on its way.

Farmers and gardeners know better than most that the process of waiting for their crop involves watering, nurturing, and protecting. Throwing seed on the ground and coming back a few weeks later isn't likely to give you anything. What you do while you wait matters.

LIFT WEIGHT WHILE YOU WAIT

Have you ever seen how big guys in prison can get? Prison is the ultimate waiting game. Regardless of what puts a person behind bars, every prisoner has to decide how they will spend the time they are required to pay. Some throw themselves into gang activity, other into studies, while some just get jacked. They decide, if I have to wait, I might as well lift weight.

It's been said that idleness is the devil's playground. I've found that being idle often leads to creating an idol. When the Lord has you in a season of waiting, the greatest temptation is to settle for something inferior to what He has in store or to become complacent and apathetic.

There's a reason why the fruit of the Spirit is patience. It's because waiting is a part of the Christ-centered life. God can do anything in an instant but He often births things instead. The God who spoke all of creation into existence in Genesis 1 is the same God who planted a garden and formed man with His hands in Genesis 2. So the key to our spiritual formation is learning to live a fruitful life even in a sowing season.

FEED YOUR COW

I'm sure you're familiar with the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15. A father's youngest son asks for his inheritance, runs off into the world, and squanders it all on wickedness and sin. When he finally comes to his senses and returns home, Jesus tells us:

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.

-Luke 15:20-23

The fact that the father saw him coming from a "long way off" can only mean one thing: he was looking for him. He knew the moment his son left he’d return, he was a farmer after all, which means he had the ability to see what was far up ahead. The day his son left the waiting game began. He had done more than just plant seeds in the fields on his property, he had planted seeds in the hearts of his sons. Though they would endure seasons of unfruitfulness, he knew his work would not return void.

So what was he doing while he waited? He was feeding a cow. He didn't call his servants to bring just any calf, but the fattened calf. The one whom had been prepared for this very moment.

I just imagine the father walking out to that cow every day, praying for his lost son. With each bail of hay he was feeding more than a cow, he was feeding a PROMISE.

The promises of God can only blossom in the soil of presence and prayer. What the scripture says and what the Lord has promised often require our obedience and cooperation. The son's inability to wait for his inheritance is what led to a life of destruction. The father's ability to wait for his son to return led to reconciliation. We're not always called to just sit and wait. Sometimes we must pray and feed, hope and sow, and plant seeds for what's to come.

CONCLUSION

Whether you're waiting on a prodigal, a miracle, an answer, or relief, know that you've been given the Holy Spirit for this very purpose. Don't just wait, wait well. Go out to the metaphorical pasture and feed your cow every day. Develop a literal way to activate your faith daily in order to partner with what the Lord is bringing about. If you're waiting for a child to come home, make a list of all the fun things you want to do with them and add to it daily. If you're seeking relief from an infirmity bring your pain before the Lord daily in a time of intentional and focused prayer and do not waver. If you're praying for a baby to come, buy something for the nursery once a week. If you're trying to make a big decision, add a log to the pile every day for the bonfire you're going to worship around with your family once that decision is made.

These are all just suggestions and perhaps some of them sound silly, but the principle rings true. If there's seed in the ground, live with the fruit in mind. God determines if and when it comes up from the ground but it's our job to work in rhythm with Him. If it's not His will, He will reveal that in your time of prayer. If it is, perhaps He's waiting until your cow is fat enough to celebrate with.