RECIPE FOR BLESSING 

By James Morris 

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. Genesis 26:12–14

My wife and I love to garden. This last spring, we planted a pinch of mustard seeds into the ground and later harvested huge containers of mustard seeds! We ended up making our very own homegrown mustard, which was not only delicious but also a lot of fun for us and our kids. We got to see the tangible results of sowing seeds and reaping a harvest.     

Traditionally, the words “sowing” and “reaping” are farming terms. Sowing means planting seed in the ground and reaping means gathering that crop once it’s fully grown and matured. However, in this first mention of the words “sow” and “reap” in the Bible, we learn that the principle goes far beyond just farming. There’s a biblical recipe for blessing within this story. Genesis 26 begins by telling us that the land was suffering the second greatest famine on earth up to that point. This wasn’t your typical sowing and reaping year for everyone. So what happened for Isaac was blessed, miraculous harvesting. God’s hand was on Isaac, moving and working, and Isaac “began to prosper and continued prospering until he became very prosperous” (Genesis 26:13). How did this happen? 

If we look back a few verses, we learn that God tells Isaac not to go to Egypt and instead dwell in Gerar. Isaac obeys. Then, even though there was a great famine going on, Isaac still sowed. He didn’t cave to what was going on in his world but believed that God would keep His promise to bless him. It may have felt senseless to sow during that time, but he did it anyway. God did the rest. 

This blessing recipe isn’t just about physical prosperity. Every action we make is an act of sowing. And whatever our actions produce is an act of reaping. Luke 6:37–38 says if we sow judgment, we reap judgment. What we give, we receive back “pressed down, shaken together ... running over,” whether that’s love, grace, peace, hope—anything—bad or good! When we obey God and sow, regardless of the “famine” around us, exponential reaping occurs. 

Prayer

God, thank You for Your love. You are a good God. My heart is to obey You and to sow good seeds. Would You please show me Your desires for my life and help me to hear Your voice? Lord, I ask that You help me to sow good seeds that will produce a godly harvest, and that my life will glorify You in all that I do. God, please help me to be wise in my actions of sowing. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Memory Verse

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV)