Luke 8:4-6

Luke 8:4-6 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.

Luke 8:11-13 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Seed that falls in good ground, fallow ground, will not escape trouble: In this world you will have trouble. Sometimes we believe trouble comes to those who have done something wrong in their lives. They just didn't exercise enough, didn't eat the right foods, failed to remain silent at the right time, didn't work hard enough, and the like. The Bible says, we will have rocks in our lives; hard places or difficult circumstances will come to us. However, the Bible warns us not to allow the vicissitudes of life to defeat us. We are to endure in faith regardless of our earthly circumstances. The kind of faith that says I will believe regardless of the troubles of life is the sustaining faith that allows us to overcome. Jesus went to the cross illustrating this faith. He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:41-42) We often have a "foxhole" faith. "Lord, if you get me out of this circumstance, this problem, I will serve you better; I will serve you more." This kind of faith is conditional on whether a situation turns out positive or not, but this is not the sustaining Biblical faith that pleases God and makes us grow stronger and become fruitful.

We must be careful when we listen to our present day media ministers who are always requesting money to prove our faith. They constantly promise us a way out of our troubles and trials. They describe a life without any rocks for the chosen ones. As Jesus said, this is not our way of life: life is full of troubles. So if we are going to face trouble, we need deep roots. If our roots are viable only when we are trouble free, we will be like the plants on the rocks that seem to be healthy when they first sprout, but due to their shallowness, they fail to find moisture, the living water, when trouble strikes them.

Most of us will face a number of rocky struggles in our lives. When the vicissitudes of life strike, we oftentimes cry out: Why me Lord, I've been faithful to you, I'm even a tither? Why are you allowing this trial in my life? Why am I facing these deep throes, battling for my survival? Under duress our hearts cry out and our roots struggle with the hardness of the rocks, with the scarcity of the soil. This is when we need moisture. The Bible says God sends rain on the just and the unjust, and it also says, ask and you will receive. These promises are especially for us Christians, God's sons and daughters, for the healing of our souls. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Matthew 11:11-13)

The Word promises out of our innermost being will flow living water. The Holy Spirit who abides in us is the GREAT COMFORTER, the heavenly water. He alone takes us safely through these rocky places. He sustains our souls when we are greatly troubled and sometimes harassed by doubt. He gives us moisture to root us down deeper into the soil of faith. The Lord said that He will never FORSAKE us or LEAVE US. We don't need to climb out of the foxhole to find God, for He is there. If we go to the pyre, He is there. If we stand on the mountaintop, He is there. In every desert, in every oasis, He is there. The Holy Spirit continually speaks to us, "Child, I am here. I am with you." His words moisten our roots, establish our days, make us victorious. Knowing this, how should we pray? "Father, increase my faith, let me hear your words of love, and let your songs of praises be on my lips regardless of the rocks in my life."