1 Samuel 1:6-7 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
Fertilizers enhance growth, improve fruit quality and size, and increase yield in fruit trees. It improves the soil quality and provides the trees a balanced formula. It also builds resistance to pests, disease and environmental stress.
The provocation, prodding and persecution by evil and envious serve as fertilizers that make us yield much and lasting fruit. We are called to bear “much fruit” as well as “lasting fruit”. Much fruit refers to “abundance” and lasting fruit to “consistency”. Our tree must bear the same quality of fruit under the weather and circumstantial pressure. Fertilizers stink. They don’t smell good but the smelly fertilizer enhances fruit.
Hannah faced the stink of the provocation of her rival as she was barren. This went on year after year. The sassy comments, sarcasm and cynical arrows pierced the heart of Hannah but God used it to prepare her womb to birth a prophet. If not for the fertilizers of provocation, prodding and persecution Hannah would have just birthed a child. However, the foul-smelling fertilizers made her womb extremely fruitful.
The early apostles were persecuted for their faith. They were arrested, flogged and some were killed but they rejoiced that the Lord found them worthy to be persecuted for His name’s sake! The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:41).
Are you ostracized as you refused to sit in the seat of the scornful? Slandered as you will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly? Or mistreated for your faith? Rejoice! The insults, slur and abuse are the fertilizers that make us fruitful.
Fertilizers and Fruitfulness:
- Prod: When we are ostracized as we refuse to compromise, we can expect smelly fertilizers to hit the root of our tree. Rejoice – fertilizers yield much fruit.
- Provoke: When provoked on social media choose silence as the answer.
- Persecution: When persecuted, rejoice. Persecution is the fertilizer that yields lasting fruit.
Fertilizers are essential to bear much and lasting fruit.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I will rejoice when I am persecuted for your Name’s sake. Amen.
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