Isaiah 53:2

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.” — Isaiah 53:2 (NKJV)

We tend to associate fruitfulness with favorable conditions. Farmers look for fertile soil, gardeners seek the right environment, and pastors sometimes dream of serving in a more responsive congregation. We assume that if the conditions were better, the results would be better. But Isaiah gives us a remarkable picture that challenges that assumption.

Speaking prophetically of Jesus Christ, Isaiah describes Him as “a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.” The most extraordinary life ever lived emerged from circumstances that appeared anything but promising. Jesus wasn’t born into a palace or surrounded by favorable conditions. He came into a world that largely failed to recognize Him, yet God’s eternal purpose was being accomplished through Him. The ground wasn’t the determining factor. The life in the Root was!

That’s an important lesson for those tempted to blame their circumstances for a lack of fruitfulness. The pastor struggling with a difficult congregation may conclude that he needs a different church. The Christian facing challenges at work may believe a better environment would make faithful living easier. The person dealing with a difficult spouse may think divorce is the answer. We look at the soil and decide that nothing worthwhile can grow there. But perhaps we’re looking at the wrong thing.

Certainly, the condition of the soil matters. Jesus made that clear in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3–9). But difficult soil doesn’t place limitations upon God’s ability to accomplish His purposes. Sometimes our desire for better circumstances becomes a substitute for depending upon God. We want a different congregation, a better opportunity, or an easier assignment when what we really need is a fresh empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He didn’t make fruitfulness dependent upon favorable circumstances. He made it dependent upon abiding in Him. Of course, God sometimes leads us into a different field, but we shouldn’t mistake difficult conditions for divine direction to leave. An unpromising field isn’t necessarily an unproductive assignment.

Perhaps the place where God has planted you doesn’t look promising. The people may be difficult, the opportunities limited, and progress painfully slow. But don’t underestimate what God can accomplish through a life surrendered to Him. The condition of the soil may present a challenge, but it doesn’t determine what God can produce in it.

Before you ask God for a different field, ask Him to make you fruitful in the one where He has planted you.

Don’t blame the soil. Abide in the Vine!

–PGR