Pastor Elie Hamuli
Prayer is central to our relationship with Jesus Christ and accompanying it with the Word of God is essential. Praying in God’s thoughts is important as opposed to our own because on our own, we have a limited and biased understanding of who He is. He is not who we think He is but who His Word says He is and cannot be described apart from it. Being filled with His Word deepens our understanding of Him and also aligns our prayers with His Will, achieving all that He purposed for us. To understand how we get the Word of God, the parable in Matthew 13:18–23, illustrates this, with the seed symbolizing the Word and different grounds on which the seed is planted representing our hearts.
The first ground is the WAYSIDE. This represents those who hear the Word but do not understand it. When they hear the Word, although present, their minds are preoccupied elsewhere. The devil (or enemy) takes profit of this by diverting their attention further. Even sleep can become a destructive tool that the enemy can use. We see this in Acts 20:9-11 when Paul resurrected a man who fell asleep and fell to his death. Paul’s response to this was to resurrect the man, demonstrating how vital the Word is, more vital than death itself. Sleep shouldn’t be an obstacle if even death won’t deter us! John 10:10 states that the devil’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy.
This is an important sequence because he always begins by stealing the Word of God from us first. He is unconcerned about our possessions and other things because, the Word of God is a seed, and when taken, we are left with nothing to reproduce in this world for there is power in the seed.
Following the wayside ground is the STONEY ground. Although the Word is enthusiastically received and understood by those here, it is not ingrained in them. This is because of the suffering and persecution brought upon as a result of the Word they received. Since the enemy could not divert their attention, he introduces these trials and tribulations so that they may lose faith in the Word. He persuades them into believing that the Word is false, casting doubt on it because of all of life’s problems. Since receiving the Word is the source of these difficulties, we should remain steadfast, and not give up on it. When we let God’s Word not only guide but define us, it is then that it usually takes root. As a result, all we do is done in and with God’s Word and so our faith cannot be shaken by trials and tribulations.
Next is the THORNY ground and this is where individuals hear the Word and understand it but having triumphed over distractions, trials and tribulations, the enemy presents life’s cares to them. This includes the attractive side of life like the pursuit of wealth and attaining luxury. Because their concentration is on these cares, the Word is then suffocated in them. This is why Jesus tells us to seek the kingdom of God first (see Matthew 6:33), because when we prioritize these, we can become slaves of our pursuits, and when not gained, because we’re defined by these things, the Word is easily choked in us. Let us then identify ourselves according to God’s Word rather than our accomplishments and prioritize His kingdom first, for He knows we need these things and will add them to us accordingly.
Finally, the last ground is the FERTILE ground. This is the heart posture we ought to strive towards. Here are those who hunger for God’s Word. When they receive the Word, they understand it, and give it room to grow inside them. In verse 23, it states that a seed sown in good soil will provide a harvest that is thirty, sixty, or even one hundred times larger than what was originally planted. However, we are promoting the hundredfold! This we can attain in accordance with Mark 4:23–25. Jesus tells us to pay attention to “what” we hear. In Luke 8:18 “how” we hear is also essential in addition to what we hear. The “how” involves a hearing heart, our attitude, and our diligence; and the “what” involves the true substance of the Word of God.
Thus when meditating, let us take heed in consuming the true substance of the Word diligently for it has the quality of revealing Jesus Christ, even inspiring us to fall even more in love with Him. As a result, much more will be given when possess both the “what” and the “how” of receiving the Word. This implies that there will be an outpouring of understanding and revelation. Getting distracted during meditation can result in the total loss of even the little that we may have gained.
Meditation is a powerful tool for receiving understanding and revelation from God and so possessing a hundredfold of it allows us to see aspects such as healing in the fullness of how God intended. Since the enemy is unable to take the Word from us in the fertile ground, he will still attempt to keep us at less than a hundredfold because that is where the victory of the Believer lies. Moreover, revelation is what keeps the Word fresh in us. Psalms 1:2-3 describes Believers that delight and meditate daily on God’s Word, as trees bearing fruit each season, never withering and prospering in all their endeavors.
Everything is contained in the seed, that is, the Word, and its power lies not in its appearance but inside it. In Genesis 1:11-13, God created everything through a seed, and this was done on the third day. The number three symbolizes manifestation and resurrection. This reminds us of Jesus, the seed of God, who died on the third day. His death brings life to us, just like a seed must die to reproduce. The power of the seed is greater than death. Therefore, no matter what we go through, we will continue to be fruitful. The seed has more life than the death, or adversity, that surrounds it. The Word can create, offer life, direction, and hope. We should meditate on it day and night, so that when we accompany our prayers with it, we can reap the fruits that come from it.
