An exquisite image of prayer

In reading through our old friend Andrew Murray's book With Christ in the School of Prayer, I came across this beautiful picture of what our prayer can be -

"...the seed we sow in the soil of heaven, the efforts we put forth, and the influence we seek to exert in the world above, need our whole being: we must give ourselves to prayer. But let us hold firm the great confidence that in due season we will reap if we don’t give up."

What an image! The idea that, as we lift our hands in holy prayer, we are really scattering our prayers into the rich, loamy soil of the heavenly places. As we trust Him for the result of our prayers, we are like gardeners, like farmers, who would wait patiently, and properly, for the return on their seed-planting.

Today, may we "hold firm the great confidence" that is wisely placed in Jesus, the Gardener and Vinedresser of our hearts and lives-in-Him. May we pray with expectation and endurance; may today see opportunities to reap where, in the past, we have sown diligently.