Spring In The Heart

God blesses the springtime of the soul, preparing hearts for growth. As He waters the earth, so His Spirit nurtures new faith, tender desires, prayer, and hope, laying the foundation for a fruitful and enduring spiritual harvest.

"You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you prepare the land." Psalm 65:9-10 Though other seasons may excel in fullness, spring stands out for freshness and beauty. We thank God when harvest time comes and golden grain is ready, but we should also thank Him for spring, which prepares the harvest. April showers bring May flowers, and winter’s cold and wet bring the beauty of summer. God blesses the spring, just as He provides for summer; therefore, we should praise Him all year.

Spiritual spring is a blessed time in a church. Young faith is developing, and we hear joyfully, “We have found the Lord.” Our children spring up like grass and willows by the water. We marvel and ask, “Who are these that come like clouds, like doves to their windows?” During revival, when God brings many to Himself, the church rejoices and can say, “You bless the springing of it” (Psalm 65:9-10, ESV).

I will focus on individual cases. There is a time when grace begins to spring, just as a bud breaks through the cold, hard earth. I want to speak about the blessing given to the green blade of new godliness, to those beginning to hope in the Lord.

1. Work Before the Spring The text shows that God alone must do some work before springing comes, and He works through us too. There is work for us. Before new life appears in a soul, there must be plowing, harrowing, and sowing. The ground must be prepared, but we do not expect to reap immediately.

Blessed be God, sometimes the reaper overtakes the plowman, but not always. In some hearts, God convicts long and deeply; the law digs deeply until every part of the soul is plowed. Conviction reaches the core of the spirit, wounding it. When God works, the soil of the heart is broken by His presence.

Then comes sowing. For springing to occur, something must be sown. After the preacher uses the plow of the law, he applies for the gospel’s seed. Promises of the gospel, doctrines, and clear teaching on free grace and the atonement are scattered like handfuls of seed. Some fall on the path and are lost, but others fall on prepared soil and remain.

Next is the harrowing. We cannot leave the seed after sowing; it must be prayed over. The prayers of the preacher and the church cover the seed, hiding it in the heart of the listener.

I emphasise this to encourage those who have not seen immediate results—not to give up—but also as a warning against expecting a harvest without preparation. Sudden revivals without prayerful labor rarely last. A lasting revival grows from much effort, longing, pleading, and watching. The servant of God preaches whether the people are ready or not, but for great success, hearts must be prepared.

2. Work Beyond Our Power After plowing, sowing, and harrowing, there must come the rain from heaven. “You visit the earth and water it” (Psalm 65:9). Our efforts are in vain without God’s blessing through the Spirit. O Holy Spirit, only You work wonders in the human heart, coming from the Father and Son to fulfill God’s purposes.

Three effects are described: Watering the ridges: Just as rain saturates the ridges, the Spirit moves and influences every part of the heart. Understanding is enlightened, conscience quickened, will controlled, and affections inflamed. We present gospel truth, but only God’s Spirit can truly affect the heart.

Settling the furrows: Heavy rain compacts the soil. Similarly, the Spirit humbles and steadies the soul. A proud, unsettled heart becomes solid and serious. Lofty thoughts and carnal pride are leveled. Genuine humility is a gracious fruit of the Spirit. “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

Softening with showers: Man’s heart is naturally hard, like dry soil. The Spirit softens it completely. The once-hard heart feels and responds; tears flow, tenderness grows.

All this is God’s work. God works through us, but He alone sends the rain of grace. Perhaps He is at work in some of you now, though spiritual life has not yet appeared. Your condition may seem sad, but we hope that soon the seed of grace will sprout, and may the Lord bless the springing thereof.

II. In the second place, let us give a brief description of the springing thereof. After the work of the Holy Spirit has been quietly going on for a certain time, as pleases the great Master and Farmer, there begin to appear signs of grace. Remember the apostle’s words: “First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (Mark 4:28). Some are greatly disturbed because they do not see the full grain in the ear in themselves. They suppose that if they were the subjects of divine work, they would be just like certain mature Christians with whom they commune, or about whom they may have read in biographies. Beloved, this is a great mistake. When grace first enters the heart, it is not like a great tree covering acres with its shadow, but like the smallest of seeds, like a mustard seed. When it first rises in the soul, it is not the sun shining at high noon, but the first faint ray of dawn. Are you so simple as to expect the harvest before you have passed through the springing-time? I hope that by describing the earliest stage of Christian experience, you may be able to say, “I have gone as far as that,” and then take comfort from the text: “You bless the springing thereof” (Psalm 65:9-10).

What then is the springing up of piety in the heart? We think it first appears in sincere, earnest desires after salvation. The person is not yet saved in their own view, but longs to be. What was once indifferent is now a matter of intense concern. Once they despised Christians and thought them needlessly earnest, thought religion trivial, and regarded the things of this world as the only substantial matters; but now they are changed. They envy the humblest Christian, and would gladly exchange places with even the poorest believer if they could be assured of a home in heaven.

Worldly things have lost dominion, and spiritual things are uppermost. Once, like many, they cried, “Who will show us any good?” but now they cry, “Lift up the light of your face upon me, O Lord” (Psalm 4:6). Once it was grain and wine that brought comfort, but now it is God alone. Their rock of refuge must be God, for they find no comfort elsewhere. Their holy desires, once fleeting like smoke from a chimney, are now enduring, though not always equally strong.

At times, these desires become a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, yet they are not satisfied and long for a still deeper yearning after heavenly things. These desires are among the first springings of divine life in the soul.

“The springing thereof” next shows itself in prayer. It is now true prayer. Once, the words were a mockery of God, sounds without the heart; but now, though the prayer is such that no human ear might hear it, God approves it, for it is the communication of a spirit to God, not the muttering of lips to an unknown God. The prayers may be short: “Oh!” “Ah!” “Would to God!” “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!” and similar brief cries; yet they are prayers. “Behold, he prays” does not refer to length, but even a sigh or tear proves spiritual life. These “groanings that cannot be uttered” are part of “the springing thereof” (Romans 8:26).

There will also appear a love for the means of grace and for God’s house. The Bible, long unread and considered of little more value than an old almanac, is now treated with respect. Even if it brings little immediate comfort and much alarm, it is still the book for the soul, and the reader turns to its pages with hope. In attending God’s house, the believer listens eagerly, hoping for a message from the Lord. Previously, worship was attended as a social duty; now it is for the purpose of finding the Savior. Once there was no more religion in the soul than in a door swinging on its hinges; now the heart enters the house praying, “Lord, meet with my soul,” and if no blessing comes, it leaves sighing, “O that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat.” This is one of the blessed signs of “the springing thereof.”

Yet another sign is that the soul begins to have faith in Jesus Christ, at least to some degree. It may not yet bring great joy or peace, but it keeps the heart from despair and prevents it from sinking under the weight of sin. I have known times when no one could perceive faith in me, and I could scarcely perceive it in myself, yet I was bold to say with Peter, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you” (John 21:17). What man cannot see, Christ sees. Many are so focused on their small faith that they fail to recognize it; but if they look to Christ and not to their faith, they will see both Christ and their own faith. They may compare themselves to mature believers and feel their faith is too small, but even the tiniest faith to receive Christ is enough. Remember: “To all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Weak faith is still faith, and God blesses “the springing thereof.”

The difficulty often comes from misunderstanding or lack of trust in God. Misunderstanding is like seeing green wheat for the first time and thinking it is just grass. Yet as one becomes familiar with it, it is not strange to see wheat go through stages: first the blade, then the ear, and finally the full grain in the ear. Many newly converted believers feel they are nothing like mature Christians, but they are simply at an earlier stage. One must go through the blade stage before the ear stage, and in the ear stage, there may be doubts about ever reaching the full grain; but in due time, maturity will come. Thank God that you are in Christ at all. Whether faith is large or small, whether you can do much or little for Christ, salvation depends not on what you are but on what Jesus Christ is. Trusting in Him, however small your faith, keeps you as safe as the strongest of the saints.

Yet alongside misunderstanding, there is often unbelief. Not all is excusable ignorance; there is sinful unbelief as well. O sinner, why do you not trust Christ? God gives you His word that those who trust Him are not condemned, yet you may fear that you are. This doubts God’s truth. Be ashamed that you have doubted His promise. All other sins grieve Christ less than the sin of suspecting that He will not forgive, or that He will cast away one who trusts Him. Do not slander His gracious character. “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37, ESV). Come in faith, and He will receive you immediately.

I have thus described “the springing thereof.” III. Thirdly, according to the text, there is one who sees this springing: Thou, Lord—“You bless the springing thereof” (Psalm 65:9).

I wish we had keener eyes to see the beginnings of grace in others; through our lack of attentiveness, we let slip many opportunities to help the weak. If a mother tends her own children, she notices the first signs of illness immediately; how much more should we watch tenderly over precious souls. Many young believers may endure weeks or months of unnecessary distress if we who know the Lord are not attentive. Shepherds stay up all night at lambing time to catch and nurse newborn lambs; we, as shepherds for God, should watch over all the newborn in His fold, especially when many are coming to Him, for tender care is needed in the first stages of new life.

Even when we miss it, God sees “the springing thereof.”

Silent, withdrawn souls who dare not speak to anyone, take comfort: God sees your new life. Even if you only think, “I will arise and go to my Father,” He hears you. Even if it is only a desire, He registers it. “You have collected my tears in your bottle; are they not in your book?” (Psalm 56:8).

He watches your return, embraces you, and welcomes you with tender love. Be encouraged that wherever you are—in your room or in secret—God is there. “You God see me” (Genesis 16:13).

“The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:11).

Even a small beginning of fear or hope delights Him. “You will perfect the thing that concerns me” (Psalm 138:8). If your soul is concerned about reconciliation with God and having an interest in Christ’s blood, it is only “the springing thereof,” yet He blesses it. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory” (Matthew 12:20). Victory comes even before the soul is fully mature; even the weakest beginnings are under God’s care, and He sees the first springing of grace.

IV. A few words on a fourth point: what a misery it would be, if it were possible, to have this springing without God’s blessing! The text says, “You bless the springing thereof” (Psalm 65:9- 10). Let us for a moment consider what the springing would be like without that blessing.

Suppose there were a revival among us without God’s blessing. I am convinced that some revivals are not from God at all, but are produced by mere excitement. If there is no blessing from the Lord, it will be only a delusion, a bubble blown into the air for a moment and then gone to nothing. People may be stirred, only to become duller and deadlier afterwards, and this is a serious harm to the church.

In the individual heart, if there were a springing without God’s blessing, it would bring no real good. Suppose you have good desires, but no blessing on them—they would only tantalize and torment you. Over time, they would vanish, and you might become even harder than before to religious convictions. If religious desires are not from God but caused by excitement, they may prevent you from taking God’s Word seriously in the future. Convictions that do not soften the heart will harden it. Think of those who have experienced a certain kind of springing without being led to Christ—some have been crushed by despair.

People sometimes say religion drives the insane—it is not true in general, but there is no doubt that a certain type of religious fervor has led many to madness.

These poor souls have felt their wounds but have not found the balm. They have not known Jesus.

They have sensed their sin but have not fled to the refuge God provides. Do not be surprised if men go mad when they refuse the Savior. It may be God’s judicial visitation upon those who, even in deep distress, will not run to Christ. For some, this is the case—you must either fly to Jesus, or your burden will grow heavier until your spirit breaks. This is not the fault of religion, but of those who reject the remedy it offers. A springing of desires without God’s blessing would be terrible, but we thank Him that we are not left in such a state.

V. And now I dwell on the comforting thought that God does bless “the springing thereof.” I want to speak to those who are tender and troubled, to show that God blesses your springing, often in many ways. Frequently He does it through small consolations. You have a few very sweet moments: you cannot yet say you belong to Christ, but at times the bells of your heart ring at His name. The means of grace are precious to you. When you attend worship, you feel a holy calm and leave wishing there were seven Sundays in the week instead of one. By God’s blessing, the Word may seem spoken for your case alone: you set aside your crutches for a moment and begin to run. Though these comforts may be brief, they are tokens of good.

On the other hand, if you have experienced few or no comforts, if the means of grace have brought little consolation, consider that a blessing. Sometimes the greatest blessing is that God removes comforts in order to quicken your running toward the end. When a man flees to a City of Refuge from a pursuer, it may be wise to let him rest briefly to regain strength, but if danger is immediate, the kindest act may be to give him nothing, so he runs with undiminished speed. The Lord may be blessing you through your unease. If you cannot yet say you are in Christ, it may be the greatest blessing to remove other comforts so that you are compelled to run to Him. Perhaps a bit of self- righteousness remains in you, and until it is gone, you cannot find true joy and peace in Christ.

The royal robe He gives will never shine until every rag of our own goodness is removed. Fear often drives people to faith. Have you not seen a timid bird fly into a man’s bosom because a hawk pursues it? It would not have ventured without fear compelling it. So it may be with you; your fears may drive you more swiftly to the Savior, and if so, even these present sorrows are signs that God is blessing “the springing thereof.”

Looking back at my own springing, I sometimes think God blessed me then in a way even more lovely than now. Though I would not wish to return to that early stage, it had many joys.

An apple tree laden with fruit is beautiful, but an apple tree in bloom is even lovelier. A mature Christian full of fruit is a comely sight, but a young believer has a special beauty. You likely now feel a greater horror of sin than many mature believers, and your tenderness of conscience may surpass theirs. You have a deeper sense of duty, a more solemn fear of neglect, and greater zeal.

You are performing your first works for God, burning with first love; nothing seems too difficult or heavy. I pray that you never decline, but always advance.

And now to close. I see three lessons for us. First, older saints must be gentle and kind to young believers. God blesses the springing thereof—let us do the same. Do not dampen young desires or quench new believers with hard questions. While they are babes needing the milk of the Word, do not overwhelm them with strong meat; they will grow into it. Remember Jacob did not overdrive the lambs—be equally prudent. Teach and guide with gentleness and tenderness, not as superiors, but as nurturing fathers for Christ’s sake. God blesses the springing thereof—may He bless it through you!

The second lesson is to fulfill the duty of gratitude. If God blesses the springing thereof, we should be thankful for even a little grace. If you have seen only the first shoot break through the soil, be thankful, and you shall see the green blade waving in the breeze; be thankful for ankle-deep verdure, and you shall see the ear begin to form; be thankful for the first green ears, and you shall see the wheat flower and ripen for the harvest.

The third lesson is encouragement. If God blesses “the springing thereof,” what will He not do in later days? If He gives such a meal when you first break your fast, what feasts will He prepare when He says, “Come, eat”? What a banquet awaits at the supper of the Lamb! O troubled soul, let storms, snow, and wintry blasts that nip your springing be forgotten in this one comforting thought: God blesses your springing, and whom God blesses none can curse. Over your head, dear desiring and pleading soul, the Lord of heaven and earth pronounces the blessing of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Take that blessing and rejoice in it forever. Amen.