The Mustard Seed Mill

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

These two scriptures are seemingly so different. Very separate. Unrelated. However, I think if we look deeply into these two scriptures, we can find something in common.

Expectation.

First, let’s look at Genesis. From these verses in Genesis, we truly could ask so many questions. One question I’ve often asked is: why would God create something that was formless and void? A perfect God surely would not need to create something He’d immediately have to fix. When I look deeper at this verse and the original words used here, I learn that what we translate as formless and void, and therefore understand as chaos, might actually mean something a little more significant.

We translate the words formless and void from a Hebrew word: Tohu Va-Vohu. Tohu Va-Vohu in Hebrew does not indicate chaos, but instead, is a beautiful picture of endless potential. This is a Hebrew play on words that describes a desert without water. All a desert needs to thrive and bring forth life is water! From Genesis, I can almost see an image of God, standing before a blank canvas, the Holy Spirit just hovering over the waters in anticipation of what is about to spring forth and come to life.

Expectation.

From the beginning, God had something crazy amazing in mind. He didn’t just plop out an earth and then think: “well, let’s get you into shape.” He first spoke into existence a canvas ripe with endless potential, holding all the necessary elements to bring about a creation that he’d prepare for His people. We see an artist rubbing His hands together and a gleam in His eye at what He’s about to create. We see a blank canvas awaiting transformation and the endless potential that canvas will spring forth as it allows itself to be transformed by its maker. He spoke into existence something not unlike a seed.

The mustard seed. The mustard seed is seemingly insignificant if we look at it. It’s small and not much to look at. But, the thing about a seed is not what it looks like at the moment, but the great potential it holds. A seed has everything needed to become something that is both much greater than itself, while at the same time a much more accurate representation of itself. A seed is a tiny representation of a huge potential. A seed carries within it all that is needed to produce something that can no longer be overlooked.

To transform, a seed must go down into the earth, submit to transformation, take in water and nutrients and the break forth into something new! A seed, again, is ripe with potential. A tiny mustard seed not only carries within it what is needed to make one tree, but it holds the potential to perpetuate the life of mustard trees from now til forever.

Expectation.

When we look at these verses and consider our lives, we can correlate that sometimes things seem formless and void. When our souls feel empty and chaotic, we can remember that maybe instead of feeling consuming darkness, we can remember the Holy Spirit is hovering over the face of the waters and is in anticipation of the endless potential that is to come when we submit ourselves to the Maker’s molding. Maybe instead of feeling like we are a mess and owning that title, we can lift our gaze to the one who can bring something so glorious from a blank canvas. The earth is something that men look at and marvel. We’ve studied it from the beginning of time and we cannot fully understand it. I want to let God have that kind of work in my life. The kind of work that men would look upon and marvel, unable to comprehend what a wonderfully marvelous work God has done. I want to live in:

Expectation

When we feel like we have so little to give, we can remember the mustard seed. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. When we take what little we have and we sew it in faith, we can wait in anticipation that God will move upon it and it will grow like a tree. It will bear fruit, reproduce, and live in endless potential when it is sewn and submitted to what it is created by God to do.

The mustard seed doesn’t worry about what the apple seed looks like or what the orange seed is doing. The mustard seed doesn’t try to produce fruit that isn’t its to produce. The mustard seed doesn’t worry, nor is anxious of what’s to come. It simply waits. Full of life, just waiting to spring forth; it waits to be sewn. Once sewn, it grows into all that God created it to be, all that it was designed to do. The seed fulfills its purpose, provides a place of rest for others, and makes the way for the next generation of mustard trees.

Expectation.

God created this earth, not full of chaos, but full of endless potential. When we partner with Him, we sew seeds into His kingdom that can produce fruit for eternity. We not only bear fruit in our souls, but that seed sewn produces a place of rest for others as well. They see the work that God is doing in our lives. They see the branches. We can provide a place of rest and direction for others. They can go plant their seed. The kingdom of God is like that. Endless, unfathomable potential.

If your soul feels small or full of chaos, plant your tiny mustard seed in faith.

Live in Expectation.