The walls of the Mitchell Corn Palace exhibit beautiful murals every
year. Scenes include birds in flight, Conestoga wagons heading West, Native
American teepees, and rural settings. There is one peculiarity about these
murals though—they are made out of corn, seeds, and grasses. The outside murals
are replaced each year with a new theme, partly because hungry birds eat from
them.
Jesus told a parable about birds and seeds: “Listen! Behold, a sower
went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the
wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it” (Mark 4:3-4). Other
seed fell among rocky soil and thorns, making them unfruitful (vv.5-7). But
some fell on good ground and yielded an abundant crop (v.8).
Jesus explained that when people by the wayside hear God’s Word, “Satan
comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts”
(v.15). The devil hates the gospel and seeks to prevent people from believing
it. Often he subtly encourages hearers to procrastinate on making a decision or
to forget what they have heard. To counter this, in our witnessing we should
pray that the Lord of the harvest will cause the Word to take root in receptive
hearts.
We plant the seed; God gives the harvest. (RBC)
