Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Ever since our podcast on the movie Courageous I’ve been pondering the idea that harvest does not come without going through sacrifice. Certainly in the farming community harvest does not occur without the process of planning and labor, a sacrifice of time and money and sweat. But what about when those sacrifices, followed by fire or drought or war, don’t end up with silos full of grain?
What about when missionaries spend decades evangelizing and the fruit looks rotten? What about Jesus’ own disciples, having sacrificed all, ending up not with health and wealth but with painful deaths and imprisonment? And John Piper recently tweeted, “Between 1920 and 1990 some 20 million died in the Russian Gulag (prison camps). Some 200,000 Christian leaders were martyred.” What was the fruit of those martyrs? I don’t personally (and perhaps shamefully so) know the name of even one.
I suppose it is how “harvest” is defined. Throughout the scriptures there are many laws regarding agricultural harvests and the endtimes are defined by a similar theme of harvesting the righteous out from the tares. But the harvest is always God’s fruit and God’s working; it is He who withholds, and it is He who sends, rain in its proper season. And the “proper season” is always His timing, His methods, His perfect plan. I’m afraid that when Christians put in the *work* of Bible study, prayer, earnest employment, good health habits, faithful child raising and so forth, we expect, nay demand the harvest that we have sowed for in hope. Sometimes the harvest is rich. But sometimes the end is grief, loss, destruction, death, even if the labor was faithful.
So whose harvest is it all, really? Does the work of martyrs have no fruit? Do faithful mothers who end up burying children have nothing to rejoice in? Perhaps there is a difference in expecting a rich end to our labors, to just being faithful in the time and day of bearing precious seed and planting, and then humbly trusting God for the results.
The harvest is always in the Lord’s hands. Let us stay faithful to our God and our calling, even if our labors end in weeping, even if it looks to us as going backwards, as pointless in our own finite minds and calloused hands, knowing that He has promised joy in the morning to come (Ps 30:5). He is worthy of our trust.
note: see the Christian Writer’s Blog Chain for more thoughts on the theme of Harvest
Wonderfully said! Very powerful words.
A very wise pose, Keri Mae. I was downsized Friday after five years at my place of employment; it wasn't anything I'd done or hadn't done – it was just the economy. I could be mad at God for removing what I thought was a secure source of income, or I could get depressed at the thought of having to job hunt again for the first time in years. But once the shock wore off, I remembered that God is in control and if He allowed this, He must have a very good reason for it and I can trust Him to bring me through it. So this morning, even though I'm sick with a sinus infection and bronchitis, I went to church, taught my Sunday School class, stayed through praise and worship, and raised my hands to God as we sang "Let the River Flow". Whatever His harvest is at this time in my life, I know it will be for my good and His glory. 🙂
This was such a thoughtful post. It is true that 'life' does not always have the fairy tale ending – even when we are faithful etc. This was a great reminder, but also makes the point that ALL things are in God's hands and there will be a harvest – even if we don't see the physical signs of it in this life.
Thank you all so much for your kind comments. Traci, I am sorry for the loss of your job but am grateful for your testimony in the faithfulness of the Lord in it. I sure hope you feel better soon!
I just returned a few hours ago from our annual Men's Ministry retreat. I gotta tell you, Kerri Mae, this struck very close to some of the stuff we dealt with over the weekend. (So much so that I desperately wish I'd read it this morning–if I had, I would've referenced it at the morning meeting today!) It's particularly relevant to the loss of a very young daughter one of our guys suffered on Friday . . . an unimaginable example of a seemingly futile harvest. I think the best posts on this chain are those that take the theme in a direction I wasn't expecting. You've certainly done that here. Very well conceived and stated. Thank you!
Very good post and I agree life does not have a fairy tale ending. I have heard that happily ever after is a just a story that is continuing.
Wow. Such a powerful article, Keri Mae! So often we forget the challenges and struggles of the Christian faith, leading to a disheartening. What a wonderful reminder to keep our eyes on the true prize and put less importance on whether or not we receive praise and fame. It is a challenge to us all, and one I pray to have the strength and wisdom to pursue.
Good post. Two comments…the Psalm 126 reference makes me think of the book, "The Cross and the Switchblade" and how David Wilkerson felt discouraged at first, even though he was sure God was calling him to New York to help young kids. I think he referred to this verse (or something similar) and things didn't begin to make sense to him until he arrived in a house there that had a picture of sheaves above the fireplace (on the mantel I think). Second point…I happened to think of the wheat/tares parable when I was clearing out our garden the other day and had incorporated it into my upcoming CW blog chain post before I even came here today and read your entry.
You have a great talent for writing. I really enjoyed your thoughts about harvest. Our preacher just spoke to us about putting our time and energies into having more of Christ in us to resist the unfruitful works of darkness or our old man. This fits good with that thought too. Funny how God speaks the same message to everyone he knows:)
Thank you all so much for your kind comments. I love hearing how the Lord speaks to us through one another.
"Perhaps there is a difference in expecting a rich end to our labors, to just being faithful in the time and day of bearing precious seed and planting, and then humbly trusting God for the results."Keri Mae, so much power in these words! The challenge is try to see beyond our finite, human perspective and simply know that He is God.Thank you for a great post!
Powerful post. Life is a series of struggles. Who said we're in the midst of a crisis, just have come through a crisis, or soon will be facing a crisis? Yet God will guide us through all. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I loved your post Keri, it is so true that we often don't get to see a direct impact of our fruitful work… but we have to faithfully trust in Him. Powerful verse, Psalms 126:6 🙂
Thank you for the reminder not to expect joy but to be faithful and trust God.
So powerful! Just what I needed to hear!