Breaking Up Fallow Ground

As I pray about Zayin, I keep returning to two images: the sword and the plow. The sword calls us to discerning intercession. The plow calls us to prepare ground that has become too hard to receive seed.

Hosea 10:12 says, “Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD.” I believe this is a word for the church in 5787. We may be eager to speak about harvest, but this is a season to seek God, open the ground, and sow. The plow’s work may be quiet and difficult, yet it prepares the way for what comes next.

The plow also brings another picture to mind: the yoke. Animals yoked together must pull in the same direction for the plow to move well. I believe God is drawing people together in this season for kingdom, prophetic, and ministerial assignments. Alignment will matter. Second Corinthians 6:14 warns against being unequally yoked. We need discernment about those with whom we join our lives and labour, so that we can move together in obedience to God.

I do not believe these partnerships are meant to be only about getting a task done. As people find the right companions for the work God has given them, there can also be friendship, love, joy, and fulfillment in the journey. We need not force those things. Let us first seek His mind and allow Him to order our relationships.

Hosea’s call begins with our own hearts. Before we ask who should walk beside us, we must ask whether we are willing to follow God’s direction ourselves. Pride, disappointment, and old habits can harden the ground. Prayer opens us to His correction and prepares us to receive what He wants to sow.

Apply this to your ministry, work, family, and relationships. Where has the ground grown hard? Are you pulling against someone you are meant to work with, or trying to sustain a partnership that keeps drawing you away from your assignment? Seek God before you choose your next direction. Ask Him to prepare your heart, show you where to sow, and bring the right people alongside you.