There is much judgment and condemnation in Hosea 10—not the easiest text to read and ponder. But, in the midst of this difficult chapter is verse 12: “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” (NRSV). The Message Bible interprets part of the verse like this: “It’s time to till the ready earth, it’s time to dig in with God, until he arrives with righteousness ripe for harvest.” Verse 12 shows God’s mercy. Even after repeated failures to live as God intended, God again shows Israel how to live, so that God “may come and rain righteousness” on them.

I’m not a gardener, let alone a farmer, so I had to check what fallow means. According to Merriam-Webster, it describes land that is “left untilled or unsown after plowing” or refers to things that are “dormant” or “inactive.”

I imagine that each of us has fallow ground in our lives, an unsown area (or areas) that God can do something with, that can become fertile ground, even if it seems useless or hopeless.

In 2018, I began my journey as a candidate for minister of word and service which has entailed cultivating areas of my life that could have been described as fallow. I’d told myself I shouldn’t be involved in some of these areas. Others I’d avoided because they caused discomfort. I didn’t know some areas could be useful. Others I hadn’t explored before.

Verse 12 reminds me of the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer: Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Luther’s Small Catechism with African Descent Reflections states, “This petition commits us to seek and to act on God’s will in every way we can” (p. 49). What powerful encouragement for us to try, with God’s help, to cultivate areas of our lives that might feel unredeemable. Even when all seems lost, our merciful God offers us opportunities to “dig in with God” in the bringing about of God’s kingdom on earth.