Expect A Harvest

 I had posted on my facebook page “To all my city friends – combines are in the field and harvest has begun.”  What was obvious to me living in rural America was not obvious to those tucked away in cities and towns. I had watched since early spring as anxious farmers began uncovering their equipment, opening up their shops, and bringing tractors, discs, and planters out of barns after a long winter making sure everything was in good repair so when the time came for them to be in the field, they would be ready.  Long white anhydrous tanks made their way into fields putting nutrients into the ground that would help feed the corn plants. I watched as the first tractor pulled into the field with a planter hooked behind it and seed was put into the ground.  I talked with my neighbors as they watched the weather forecast and tried to anticipate if there was going to be too much rain, not enough rain, and when would it just be too late to plant.  Finally all the crops were in, but the work was far from done.  Sprayers with high wheels, that look like All Terrain Armored Transports or Imperial Walkers from Star Wars, go up and down the field spraying and later the hum of airplanes flying low over the fields making sure the crops did not have to compete with weeds for moisture.  Day by day the corn grew taller.  When I was growing up the saying was that the corn would be knee high by the fourth of July, but with today’s advanced technology and hybrid seeds the corn is well above that.  I watched as slowly ears formed on the stalks and tassels topped each plant.  By mid August, the watchful eye could see that the corn was beginning to turn brown and harvest was getting closer. As harvest draws near, the farmer is taking notice of the corn as it begins to dry, the ears begin to droop, and the moisture level goes down.  They are getting out their combines and checking belts, greasing bearings, and changing oil and making sure they will be ready.  Anticipation hangs almost as heavy as the August humidity.  They are measuring the moisture levels and watching as the ears of corn drop lower.  They are watching the weather.  Harvest time is near.

 Then one morning I heard the sound of a combine in the field and looked out to see dust billowing up  like a mini tornado coming down the field and the corn being sucked up into the hopper and the stalks chopped and spit out the back. All the hard work had paid off.  Harvest had begun.

My mind, like an old computer, slowly brought Galatians 6:9-10 to the forefront of my thinking, “So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

God was allowing me to see with my physical eyes the reality that had become blurred with my spiritual eyes.  A harvest of God’s richest blessings is ahead for me if I don’t give up or give in.  I know a lot of you are weary and wondering if harvest time will ever come in your life.  The answer is yes a thousand times yes. 

There can be a long process between sowing and reaping.  I am reminded that the celebration of harvest did not come about over night.  There were days of preparation, long days of planting, days spent preventing weeds, and guarding against disease and bugs destroying or lessening the yield.  There were anxious, worrisome, stressful days of wondering if the crop would receive the necessary amount of rain and sun.  The farmer does all this without the promise of a harvest.  Rain can flood fields, hail can destroy crops, drought can ravage plants, and disease can all rob the joy of harvest.  But God has promised that if we don’t give up or quit we will reap a harvest of blessings.  So today I call to your mind and mine God’s laws of harvest.

1. You have to sow in order to reap.
2. You will always reap more than you sow.
3. There is always time between sowing and harvesting.

What harvest are you trusting God for?  Have you prayed for years for someone’s salvation and you are still waiting?  Have you been a faithful steward of the money God has given you and now you are unemployed waiting for God to meet your needs?  Are you sowing seeds of love into broken relationships, sowing seeds of faith for healing, praying and believing God for miracles?  Whatever it is don’t allow Satan to rob you of the blessings that God has promised.  Expect a harvest!

Galatians 6:9-10 

“So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

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