“To a farmer about to prepare a seedbed, the prerequisite for his undertaking is not the accidental need of a crop. His need of food does not endow him with skill in cultivating the earth; it merely affords the stimulus and purpose for his undertaking. It is his knowledge, his possession of the idea of tillage, which enables him to raise crops. The same principle applies to prayer. The natural loyalty of living, fertilized by faith saved through a lifetime, is the soil on which prayer can grow. Laden with secret fertility and patient discreetness concerning things to be and things forever unknown, the soil of the soul nourishes and holds the roots of prayer. But the soil by itself does not produce crops. There must also be the idea of prayer to make the soul yield its amazing fruit. The idea of prayer is based upon the assumption of man’s ability to accost God, to lay our hopes, sorrows, and wishes before Him.” (“Man’s Quest for God”, Abraham Heschel)

“And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Matthew 13:3-9

What is it that leads someone to become a farmer? Most likely it is someone who grew up on a farm, or who has learned to appreciate the intricacy and the beauty of producing crops. I believe that following the desire to be a farmer is a calling similar to following the desire to become a pastor. The farmer does not believe they have some magical power to grow crops — they just have the faith that hard work and faithful service will serve them well while they wrestle with the weather and the seasons.

As such, the pastor does not necessarily believe that they possess some “magic” or “magical power” to be able to speak to or for G-d; we just believe that the Holy Spirit is our guide and our comforter. The pastor will wrestle with questions about the mystery of G-d and the injustice of society as much as any lay person.

In all things of this life, we look to our vocations, our worship, and our prayer lives as moments where we can speak to G-d; witnessing the wonder of prayer, the wonder of worship and the wonder of our individual vocation that connects us to each other, and to G-d.

Contact and connection with G-d is not OUR achievement — it is a gift — where G-d comes down to us through Jesus Christ.  Before the words of prayer come to the our lips, we have already trusted in G-d’s willingness to draw near to us, and in our ability to clear a path for G-d to speak to us.

Pastor Dave