It was early, and I was enjoying the rare moments of peace and quiet that can only occur before the rest of the house is awake. I had just opened my Bible when a voice resounded in my ear: “Come with me!”

“Bu—why—Okay! Why not?” And I took His outstretched hand.

In an instant, all that I recognized was gone. Before me lay a desolate field. The sandy, rocky soil was too poor to support anything but the weeds and briers that grew in abundance. Then, off to my left, I saw a tiny patch of corn. I stared at it for a moment, for I wanted to verify that I was truly seeing healthy corn in this field. But, surprisingly, the ground in this corner was black, and not a single weed could be seen among the corn stalks.

“Lord,” I quarried, “what are You showing me?”

“The field is your heart, my child,” replied the kind voice of my Saviour. “The corn is the Fruit of the Spirit that is evident in your life, but the weeds and stones represent the continued presence of sin.” His eyes then took on a distant gaze as he pointed to the tiny patch of green: “The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God.”

He then spread out his hands over the field of weeds, and His tone became so filled with sadness that I had to strain to hear his next words: “But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end Is to be burned.”

A sense of horror washed over me. “No!” I cried, dropping to my knees. “Jesus! Please remove the thorns and briers from my heart!”

“My child,” He said, “I would like nothing better than to remove the thorns, but this is something that you must for yourself! “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2 Tim 2:19).

I immediately lit into that field, digging into the sandy, miry soil with my bare hands, tearing at the weeds, digging at the stones, pulling at the roots. So involved did I become in this single-minded passion that I couldn’t see Jesus motioning to me, gesturing for me to stop. I didn’t hear the sweet sound of his voice, calling me, begging me to listen.

I pushed and pulled at a particularly large boulder, striving to get it to edge of the field; but my best efforts could move it no more than an inch or two. I dropped to the ground, and in exhausted frustration, I began to cry. But the sound of wicked laughter drowned out my tears. A crowd of hideous creatures stood at the edge of my field, pointing at me, calling me names, laughing at me . . ..

Then a boulder the size of a dog whizzed over my head and buried itself deeply in the middle of my field. Soon another flew by, and another. “No! Stop it! No, no!” I cried, pounding the ground in aggravation. But they only laughed harder, and the air was soon filled with boulders, sand, and clay. Then a rock landed at the edge of my corn, crushing a few of the previous stalks. “No!” I cried. “No! Jesus, make them go away!”

Immediately the crowd vanished, and I was left alone with my Lord. I fell at His feet to weep my gratitude, but I only stayed a moment. I had to get my field cleaned up! There was no time to lose!

His majestic voice stopped me in my tracks: “I AM THE WAY!” (John 14:6).

I turned in surprise. “Lord, You said You couldn’t remove the rocks and weeds!”

There were tears in Jesus’ eyes as He gestured for me to come to Him. He took my hand in His. He placed the tips of my fingers into a scar—the scar that He had born for 2000 years. With His other hand he wiped the tears from my eyes. Finally he took my head between his hands and quietly directed my gaze to the east.

I gasped! There, at the edge of my field, stood a brand new plow.

Jesus’ quiet words shook my soul: “You are responsible for clearing your field, child,” he said. “But I have provided you with the plow! Go in peace!”

At once I was back in my family room, and I glanced down to find my Bible open to the 6th chapter of Hebrews. My eyes went directly to the 7th verse: “The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.” (Heb. 6:7,8). Then the sweet voice of my Lord resounded once again in my ears: “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him.” (Rev. 3:20).

Suddenly it all made sense. Without Jesus’ help, my life was overgrown with sin and darkness. Nothing I could do on my own would change that. But Jesus stands by, patiently knocking, ready to supply me with the power to do away with sin.

“Lord Jesus!” I whispered. “How can I remember this lesson? How can I remember to reach out for and accept Your help?”

The answer was immediately forthcoming: “My child, ‘Pray without ceasing!’”(1 Thes. 5:17).

By Lyn Chaffart To contact me click here