So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (ESV)

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (NIV)

It’s spring. The farmer is eager and hard at work planting the seed. He understands the season. The possibilities. This is the heart of the evangelist. To plant the good news of Jesus in new ears, where there is only soil.

Now it's summer. Things are growing, and the farmer is watering. If he doesn’t, will things continue to grow? This is how it can feel to make disciples. You pour out your heart to water someone else’s, mending what’s already been planted or working to soften the soil that’s still hardened. 

Finally, in the Fall, some even get to partake in the harvest. They get to see the reward of the labor. Sometimes the farmer and sometimes the hired hand. 

A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed thousands of students gather at Oklahoma University. The gospel was boldly preached, and nearly 1,000 students surrendered their lives to Jesus. 

It’s easy to think that this is THE moment God used to grow His body–from that one message.

But…as I watched hundreds of students stand up and walk to the altar, I couldn’t help but think of all the moments before this one. The countless prayers of grandparents, the discipleship of parents, the airplane rides next to an evangelist, or even the friend who invited them in. All of God's people, surrendering to each moment and each interruption…to the mending.

Salvation may come in a moment, but not without the countless moments of God’s people making themselves available to plant and water. In the backdrop of it all, there is only one who makes things grow. He causes the sun to rise, the rain to fall, and the flowers to bloom. 

A farmer labors diligently to cultivate an environment where things can flourish. But a good farmer never claims that he brought forth the growth. The crops grow through the means of God’s ordained creation, with the help of the planter and the waterer. 

When we realize faithfulness is not determined by the outcome, we are set free from our own control and missed expectations. We can even trust God when we don’t see fruit. If there isn't growth, it doesn’t mean the mending was in vain. 

And just maybe, even the most insignificant moments of our lives, the ones we aren’t able to recognize, are the very moments God uses most to bring the lost to Himself. 

What we do matters, but we aren’t the point. 

Written by Blake Stanley and Ben Hesch