By Danny Minton

The late Jim Reeves has always been one of my favorite singers. I owned several of his LP albums in high school. One that I particularly enjoyed was entitled “Talkin’ To Your Heart.” Several selections were poetic, and I liked them so much that I memorized a few. One that I have quoted in several Bible classes is named “The Farmer and the Lord.”** It’s not only a beautiful lyric but also has a profound message.

While resting one evening by the side of the road,
I saw an old farmer in a field he’d just hoed.
His face was all brown and wrinkled by the wind,
And he was talking to the Lord just like you’d talk to a friend.
“Well, Sir,” he said in a voice both calm and quiet,
“Them corn tassels need sackin’, but, uh,  I got no string to tie ‘em.
Hadn’t rained in so long, that the fields are mighty dusty,
And it’s been so unbearable hot that the kids are even getting fussy.
Now that grass down in the pasture should be knee high,
If we could just have a little shower, Lord, it might keep the cow from going dry.
Oh, but listen to me talkin’, you’d think I wasn’t grateful,
Why if you didn’t know me so well, Lord, you’d think I was downright hateful.
You’d think I forgot about the calf that you sent,
And the money in the mail that took care of the rent.
Ma’s cold’s better and Johnny’s home from the Navy,
And that good Sunday dinner of chicken, dumplings, and gravy.
That new preacher you sent us, Lord, he sure is a fine young man,
Why he’s just convertin’ them sinners to beat the band.
Well, guess I’ll mosey along, Lord. Won’t take no more of your time.
Guess there’s plenty of folks herebouts waitin to ring your line.
Evenin’ to you Lord and watch over us tonight.
But don’t you worry about us none Lord, cause everything’s going to be alright.”

The story of the farmer portrays three different characters in the same man. Many of us are like the first one, the one that sees everything wrong in life. These are the people who live in a negative world of wants, bemoaning about the things in life that are going wrong. These people are so caught up in what they don’t have that they fail to appreciate what they do possess. In the story, the farmer only sees the need for rain and how the lack of it is the source of all his woes. He pleads with God to do something about it. 

Much like the farmer, we often complain about things not going as we want. We plead with God to change things to make our lives easier and better. We have difficulty in seeing past the worst parts of our situations. Like the farmer, our prayers are often filled with the things in life that get us down.

However, the farmer portrays a second character when he realizes that all he is doing is complaining. He admits that God has actively done a lot of good in his life. He notes the blessings of a new calf, his wife being well, his son coming home, abundant food, and the spiritual value of a new preacher. The lesson we can learn is to realize that God does much good in our lives if we just stop and look at our blessings. Even when life seems dark, God still inserts light into our darkest times. 

Take time to count your blessings. Momentarily forgetting all those things going wrong, sit down and list all the good that God has placed in your life. When we realize how much good He is providing, it can help the negative things to fade into the background and not be as big of an issue as when we dwell on them.

But there’s a third character in the farmer. It’s the character of letting go of the world and letting God take over. He teaches us that life will have good and bad, but God will always be present. What we should do is allow God to work in our lives, learning to handle the woes, and rejoice in the good.

Life is a journey with good and bad, likes and dislikes, blessings, and failures along the way. Work on the negatives in life when they come around, but don’t dwell on them. On the other hand, when the good comes along in life, stop and take in the love of God. How we approach life is up to us. We may very well take the same journey as the farmer before realizing that God will always be there beside us.

**The lyrics for The Farmer and the Lord” were written by Jim Wilson and later covered by Bill Anderson with his version. It was first recorded by Jimmy Dean in 1957 and later by Jim Reeves, Walter Brennen, Tommy Dell, and Porter Wagoner with some variations. The version above is how I remember learning it.

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ