A Land Not Sown.

It’s been on my heart to re-post this revelation I had two years ago. There’s something happening, the signs are all around, and I don’t know who needs to read this, maybe it’s me, but I hope this post will bring you the encouragement you need to keep pressing forward.

I remember the loyalty of your youth, your love as a bride–how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

Jeremiah 2:2 (CSB)

Israel followed God into “a land not sown”. There was a dream but no sign of what was to come. This was a land promised to them yet not taken. There was no sign of harvest or of first fruits to come. Yet Israel trusted and followed.

When I think of a land not sown, I think of a barren land. Nothing for miles and miles but me. It’s a place where you look and you just know that the soil isn’t the good kind, even though it’s unplowed. It’s a land full of obstacles, some seen and some unseen. The only noise is the blowing of an oppressive wind. It’s the kind of land that I would look at and then throw my head up to the sky and shout, “This, Lord? This is the place You had in mind? Are You sure we’re in the right place?” Which, now that I think about it, is probably what Abraham was thinking in Genesis 13 after Lot took the good looking land.

Look and See. Sometimes the dreams we have, the ones that God has placed in our hearts, do not look like anything yet. There is no ground broken, no seeds planted, perhaps it even looks like we’re walking into a barren land–a barren dream. It is a land not sown. But if we trust God and continue to follow Him and His dream for us, eventually there will be a harvest.

Sometimes when we first embark into a land not sown, the only thing we have to hold on to is the vision that God has given us, the dream that He has placed in our hearts. We don’t see the way. We don’t see the tools that will be used. We may look around a bit nervously and ask, “Okay, God, how is this going to happen?” Yet, in time it will happen.

What is a dream God has placed within your heart? Is it a land not sown? Walk on. Walk in faithfulness, preparing yourself and following the One who placed the Vision. God will supply the tools. We are not called to complete the dream immediately or even by ourselves. We walk step-by-step in faith. We follow God’s direction, even if it’s as simple as clearing debris and gathering branches. Or even simpler, looking out at the land and thanking God for it then declaring His vision over it.

After Lot took the good land, God told Abraham, “Get up and walk through the length and breadth of the land, because I will give it to you.” So what did Abraham do? He pitched his tent and built an altar to God. (Gen. 13:17-18)

When the Israelites finally entered the land that God had promised them, the very land He claimed was not sown, the Ark of the Covenant, God’s presence, went before them. God made a way through the first obstacle they encountered. Once they had crossed the Jordan and into the land, they built an altar to God. (Josh. 3:14; 4:8-9)

God had a vision, a dream, for His creation. He wanted to be a family, to call them sons and daughters as they called Him Father (Jer. 3:19). Yet when sin came, it seemed like His Vision was done for. Yet God knew and saw that His Vision would still be completed. Even so, He had to walk in a land not sown. He had to endure a time when only one man (only one!) knew Him. He had to walk through a time of those He called His lived in rebellion, sinning so much that He had to send them from His presence (2 Kings 17:18-20). Yet He walked on. Then came the time when His vision could be fulfilled through His Son, Jesus. There will be a day when God’s dream comes to full completion (Rev. 21:3).

Do you have a vision for your marriage, your family? Do you have a dream of reaching people for Christ in foreign lands? Has God given you a vision that seems impossible? Has He asked you to walk into a land not sown? Walk on. God has given you a vision, a promise, and it will be fulfilled. One day, the land not sown will be full of harvest and first fruits.