How Do Farmers Sift Wheat? | eHow.com
I apologize for the long break I have taken from blogging since the fast has ended. God has really been speaking to me a great deal. During the fast, I reflected on the troubles we have faced, the obstacles and the persecutions we have endured. My heart was heavy when I thought of these things, happy to have been brought through by His infinite mercy, but troubled over why some of these things have taken place when I am confident that we are walking in His will and doing what He has asked of us. I know that He never promised a walk in the park when following His call, but Satan seems to always throw that dart of doubt my way. As I was reading, I came across a passage in Luke 22
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
I grew up in the boonies but not on a farm so I really know nothing about harvesting wheat so I did a little research. (click on the eHow.com link above) The first step is threshing, loosening the edible grain from the chaff which is done by beating it against the ground. The second step to separate the chaff is called winnowing where wheat is thrown into the air and a breeze would separate the grain and the chaff. In the developed world, both processes are done by a combine. What I found interesting is that on more than one website, the process is listed as "Difficulty: EASY" Satan has asked for us, to sift us like wheat. Difficulty? EASY! It's easy for him to beat us, flail us, stomp on us, and throw us into the air for the next wind to blow us away. Notice that Jesus does not say to Simon, "...Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.....I will not allow it, I will protect you..." Nope, He says "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." God allows us to be sifted as wheat. He allows us to endure trials and heartaches and so that in the process we are separated from the chaff-the junk, the debris that we don't need in our lives. Or the separation may be from the people who do not believe and are not obedient. How we respond to this sifting process is what defines us. It will either purify us for His use and unite us with His purpose for us or it will cause us to lose our faith and be separated from God. "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail," is the most important prayer He could have prayed for us...not a prayer that you have a life without trouble but that your faith endures! Faith is the most important thing in life! You can take away everything I have but if I have faith I will rebound! And remember that blog I posted with the mustard seed pictures? Yep, that's all the faith you need. I am being sifted as wheat. It doesn't mean that I am out of God's will, it doesn't mean that I am doing anything wrong. In fact, it's the exact opposite. I am being brought closer to the thrown! And my faith is increasing! Satan gets the raw end of the deal again! What he means for harm against me, God intends for His glory. If we are grounded in our faith and in His word, then sifting shouldn't be so easy for the enemy. I pray I have endured this process so well that there is a sign on my forehead for Satan that says "Difficulty: HARD!!" Maybe he will skip over me.
So the next time you see the combine coming, lift your hands and praise Him for the journey of faith that you are on!
I apologize for the long break I have taken from blogging since the fast has ended. God has really been speaking to me a great deal. During the fast, I reflected on the troubles we have faced, the obstacles and the persecutions we have endured. My heart was heavy when I thought of these things, happy to have been brought through by His infinite mercy, but troubled over why some of these things have taken place when I am confident that we are walking in His will and doing what He has asked of us. I know that He never promised a walk in the park when following His call, but Satan seems to always throw that dart of doubt my way. As I was reading, I came across a passage in Luke 22
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
I grew up in the boonies but not on a farm so I really know nothing about harvesting wheat so I did a little research. (click on the eHow.com link above) The first step is threshing, loosening the edible grain from the chaff which is done by beating it against the ground. The second step to separate the chaff is called winnowing where wheat is thrown into the air and a breeze would separate the grain and the chaff. In the developed world, both processes are done by a combine. What I found interesting is that on more than one website, the process is listed as "Difficulty: EASY" Satan has asked for us, to sift us like wheat. Difficulty? EASY! It's easy for him to beat us, flail us, stomp on us, and throw us into the air for the next wind to blow us away. Notice that Jesus does not say to Simon, "...Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.....I will not allow it, I will protect you..." Nope, He says "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." God allows us to be sifted as wheat. He allows us to endure trials and heartaches and so that in the process we are separated from the chaff-the junk, the debris that we don't need in our lives. Or the separation may be from the people who do not believe and are not obedient. How we respond to this sifting process is what defines us. It will either purify us for His use and unite us with His purpose for us or it will cause us to lose our faith and be separated from God. "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail," is the most important prayer He could have prayed for us...not a prayer that you have a life without trouble but that your faith endures! Faith is the most important thing in life! You can take away everything I have but if I have faith I will rebound! And remember that blog I posted with the mustard seed pictures? Yep, that's all the faith you need. I am being sifted as wheat. It doesn't mean that I am out of God's will, it doesn't mean that I am doing anything wrong. In fact, it's the exact opposite. I am being brought closer to the thrown! And my faith is increasing! Satan gets the raw end of the deal again! What he means for harm against me, God intends for His glory. If we are grounded in our faith and in His word, then sifting shouldn't be so easy for the enemy. I pray I have endured this process so well that there is a sign on my forehead for Satan that says "Difficulty: HARD!!" Maybe he will skip over me.
So the next time you see the combine coming, lift your hands and praise Him for the journey of faith that you are on!
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