Seeking the Lord

“The hard ground must be broken open with repentance and self-humbling if the divine seed is going to enter and grow new life.”
John Piper

“We must sow to the Spirit, must sow to the glory of God, must sow in righteousness, must sow in obedience to the commands of God, the laws of Christ, and the truths of his gospel.” Matthew Henry

“Whatever is right, just, and proper for man to do, we are to engage in...If we sow in our hearts and lives the principles of righteousness, we shall reap the results of it in the blessings of God.”
Albert Barnes

“True repentance prepares the soil so we can seek the Lord and get right with Him.”
Warren Wiersbe

The Bible contains divine principles and truths relevant to believers in every generation. Hosea 10:12 offers insightful instruction on intentionally cultivating righteousness to reap God’s blessings: “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you” (ESV). Hosea points to the importance of actively preparing our hearts to seek the Lord so His goodness may overflow in our lives.

The Need for Preparation
Hosea’s agricultural imagery depicts the condition of the heart as “fallow ground” that requires breaking up and sowing with righteousness to reap a bountiful harvest of God’s steadfast love. Fallow ground refers to soil left uncultivated for some time to restore fertility. Spiritually speaking, it points to the hardness of heart, when our hearts become dull, apathetic, or preoccupied with other matters. Seasons of spiritual dryness and lack of fruitfulness indicate that our hearts need repentance and renewal to receive God’s rain of righteousness. Proverbs 28:13 (ESV) explains, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Furthermore, the Lord urges, “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart’... Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:12-13, ESV). Just as farmers must regularly cultivate their fields, we must cultivate softness and readiness of heart before God through confession, repentance, and humility. The good news is that God is ready to unleash His righteousness into well- prepared hearts. However, we have a responsibility to examine our hearts and ask God to help us plow up any hardened, uncultivated ground within us, as David prays in Psalm 139:23-24. Exposing and dealing with the rocks, weeds, and hardened pathways in our hearts through repentance prepares us to be receptive to God’s transforming work.

Cultivating Righteousness
In addition to self-examination and repentance, Hosea’s exhortation to “sow righteousness” implies that we must actively plant and nurture virtuous thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Our hearts must be sown with the seeds of biblical virtues such as kindness, justice, purity, patience, humility, and compassion. As we cooperate with God’s grace to grow in Christlike character, we make room for the Lord’s righteous reign in our lives, just as Colossians 1:10 exhorts. This kind of intentional cultivation develops godly habits and lifestyles that honor the Lord. As Philippians 4:8 (ESV) says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” When we sow righteousness through obedience to God’s Word, we create an environment in our hearts where God’s righteousness readily takes root and flourishes, as James 1:22 explains. Sowing righteousness is saying ‘No’ to sinful behaviors and lusts and ‘Yes’ to prayer, love, kindness, patience, and generosity. When we sow righteousness, we create an environment in our hearts where God’s righteousness readily takes root and flourishes. In other words, sowing righteousness positions us to readily embrace God’s righteousness at work in our lives. It enables His life-giving rain to penetrate our hearts and magnify Christ’s transforming work. So, living righteously is not just about dutiful rule- keeping but heart preparation. As we actively practice righteousness, we welcome the reign of God’s righteousness within us.

Cultivating Readiness
Fruitful seasons rely on the intentional preparation of the soil. As Jesus taught, abundant crops require creating the right conditions in our hearts (Matthew 13:1-23). We must carefully examine our inner landscape, removing pride, bitterness, laziness, or apathy that can choke growth. Unaddressed flaws restrict new life from thriving, but Spirit-led self-reflection reveals places needing refreshed vision, revived passion, or realigned priorities. Maturing spiritually demands diligently cultivating our souls through prayer, study, community, and more. While focusing inward, we also prepare outward by gently speaking truth and modeling God’s grace, helping soften hardened hearts. Proverbs 4:23 (ESV) says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Therefore, we need to not only cultivate but also guard our hearts, ensuring that we are prepared for spiritual growth. What competes for priority in our hearts? What hinders or obstructs our growth? Taking stock may illuminate the need for renewed vision, passion, or priorities. Let us cultivate readiness in our hearts and among those God places in our paths.

Seeking God’s Face
In addition to readying our hearts through repentance and sowing righteousness, Hosea’s exhortation highlights that preparation has an appointed time and purpose “for it is the time to seek the Lord.” It emphasizes the priority of intentionally seeking God’s face and desiring His presence. 1 Chronicles 16:11 (ESV) exhorts us to “seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!” Let us seek God early and diligently, with great intensity and eagerness of spirit, and with the utmost sincerity. Seeking God’s face means earnestly pursuing Him and longing for His manifest presence in our lives, as Moses prayed in Exodus 33:18 (ESV), “Please show me Your glory.” Proper heart preparation fuels passionate seeking after God Himself, and there are opportune seasons in life to particularly devote ourselves to drawing near to God. Ecclesiastes 3:1 affirms that there is a time for everything. Seeking God also means discovering the means of grace that attune our hearts to Him by immersing ourselves in Scripture, prayer, worship, godly community, and service. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7, ESV). As we steward these soul-nurturing disciplines, we position ourselves to encounter God’s loving presence and grow in fellowship with Him. Furthermore, seeking God encompasses trusting Him enough to surrender control of our lives to Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 urges us to rely completely on the Lord, without depending on our own insights. In every aspect of our lives, we are to recognize His presence, and He will guide us in the right direction. This posture of yielding and dependency on God also prepares us to receive His rain of righteousness.

The Promised Blessing
Hosea provides glorious motivation for diligently preparing our hearts and passionately seeking God: The assurance that “He may come and rain righteousness upon you.” In any arid climate, rainfall is essential for producing abundant harvests. Similarly, God promises to unleash His righteous reign in prepared hearts that seek Him. His righteousness is a lavish downpour of divine empowerment and sanctifying grace that transforms our lives. When God rains His righteousness upon us, we experience the fullness of Christ formed within us (Galatians 4:19), the implantation of holy virtues (Colossians 3:12-14), and the cultivation of godly desires (Psalm 37:4). His righteousness saturates our hearts until our lives bear the beautiful fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). This abundant blessing of inward righteousness overflows into righteous living that honors God. Our thoughts, words, and actions increasingly reflect the character of Christ as we are transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). God’s righteousness permeates all areas of life, producing integrity and wholeness. We transition from “fallow ground” to a fruitful garden under the nurturing rain of God’s righteousness! What a joy to experience the righteousness, peace, and wholeness of His Kingdom reign in our lives (Romans 14:17).

Hosea 10:12 contains a profound invitation. God calls us to prepare our hearts through repentance, sow righteousness continually, and seek Him wholeheartedly. He promises to respond with a lavish outpouring of His righteousness that transforms our lives. When we cultivate a heart hunger for God and crave His righteousness above all else, He is faithful to satisfy the longing of our souls (Psalm 107:9). May we each examine our hearts and lives. Does fallow, hardened ground need to be broken up through repentance and humility? What seeds of righteousness and godly virtues can be freshly sown? Now is the time to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord with renewed passion. God’s promise remains, and His righteous rain awaits prepared hearts. So break the fallow ground, for now, is the time to seek the Lord. In this earnest pursuit, anticipate God’s rain descending upon the prepared soil, nurturing a flourishing and fruitful life. The rain of His righteousness, presence, and power is coming, so let us ready our hearts, sow righteousness, and seek Him with all we are. The blessing of His kingdom is near! May our passionate response be: Come, Lord Jesus, rain down your righteousness. Drench our lives with your glorious presence until we are soaked with your love and goodness. We open our hearts to receive the fullness of your Kingdom. Psalm 72:6-7 (ESV), “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the LORD, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.”