Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick. Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain. All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
— Isaiah 28:23-29

~~~~~

Uniquely Planted, Perfectly Planned
By Jennifer Kane

The Farmer bends with steady hand,
Each furrow traced by His command;
No seed misplaced, no soil untamed,
Each row is marked, each crop is named.

The cumin waits for gentler rod,
The wheat bears weight, yet trusts in God;
Barley is set in its rightful place,
Each grain designed by sovereign grace.

Why envy fields that seem more fair?
Why pine for burdens we can’t bear?
The Farmer knows the strength we keep,
The rod for some, for others deep.

The plow may cut, the thresh may bruise,
Yet none of these are harsh misuse;
Each trial fitted, each season planned,
By wisdom vast, the Farmer’s hand.

So let me rest within my plot,
Rejoice in others’ harvests wrought;
For all are needed, all are known,
And every seed by Him is sown.

When harvest comes, the field will sing,
Each crop a gift, each fruit a king;
The wisdom glorious, vast, and grand—
Uniquely planted, perfectly planned.

~~~~~

Scripture: Isaiah 28:23-29

It’s a natural human tendency to look across the fence, not just at our neighbor’s greener grass, but at their entire crop. We see a friend thriving in their career (the “wheat”) and wonder why our own path feels more like a hidden, slow-growing “cumin.” We watch someone endure a trial with apparent grace and think, “Why is my struggle so different? Their threshing looks gentler than mine.”

In this beautiful passage, God, through Isaiah, uses the metaphor of a farmer to reveal a profound truth about His character. A skilled farmer doesn’t treat every plant the same. He has a specific purpose and plan for each seed:
He plants differently: Caraway, cumin, wheat, and barley are all sown in their own unique way and in their own designated plot.

He harvests differently: Delicate caraway and cumin would be destroyed by the heavy threshing sledge used for tough wheat. They require a gentler rod or stick.

He processes differently: Grain must be ground to make bread, but you wouldn’t use a threshing cart for that final step.

The application is clear and personal: You are a specific crop in God’s garden. He has planted you for a unique purpose. The “plowing” and “threshing” you experience in life—the seasons of preparation, the trials that feel like breaking—are not random. They are the specific, tailored methods of the Divine Farmer, who knows exactly what you need to become who He created you to be.

The problem arises when we, the cumin, look at the wheat and feel inferior, or when we, the barley, see the caraway getting the “gentler rod” and cry, “Unfair!” We forget that the Farmer’s goal is not uniformity, but a diverse and abundant harvest. As the saying goes, “Different bait for different fish.” God uses different methods to reach different people and to produce different kinds of fruit in each of us.

So embrace your “crop type.” Instead of wishing you were the wheat in someone else’s field, ask God to show you the purpose and beauty of being the caraway or cumin in His. Your specific gifts, personality, and calling are intentional.

Trust the Farmer’s process. The struggle you are facing right now is not a sign of God’s displeasure, but of His careful cultivation. He will not use a “threshing sledge” if a “rod” is what you need. He knows the precise pressure required to separate your faith from its chaff.

Celebrate diversity in the field. Let this truth kill the root of comparison. When you see a brother or sister thriving or struggling in a way different from you, remember they are a different crop. Rejoice in God’s wonderful, magnificent wisdom at work in their life, just as it is at work in yours.

~~~~~

Lord Almighty, our Divine Farmer, forgive us for the times we have questioned Your methods and compared our plot to another’s. Help us to truly trust that Your plan is wonderful and Your wisdom is magnificent. Thank you that You know us intimately—that You know if we are caraway, cumin, or wheat—and that You treat us with the perfect, personalized care we need to grow and fulfill our purpose in Your kingdom. Give us peace in our unique planting and joy in Your perfect harvest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

October 2, 2025