The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. Psalm 65:8
Harvest has wrapped up in my part of the country. Fields that once stood tall with green, then yellow, then brown stalks of corn, are now empty. Some are lined with stubble and dotted with cows, grazing on the leftovers. Some are plowed and stripped, in preparation for next spring. The harvest equipment is sitting silent in the fields.
Another harvest season has been completed but that doesn’t mean the work is done. That equipment sitting in the fields needs to be cleaned and maintained and stored. That corn that was harvested and trucked away needs to be dried and stored properly for the winter ahead. Those fields that lay empty need to be tilled and prepared for next year’s season.
Reaping a harvest did not come easy. It took a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of attention. But more importantly, it took the blessed hand of the Lord to bring the sunshine and the rain.
So it is in our lives. Reaping a harvest does not come easy. It takes a lot of work as we face circumstances we didn’t think we could face, as we work to love our mom or dad unconditionally, as we strive to offer forgiveness and love no matter what.
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
Our harvest may take a lot of time. Mornings and evenings, days and weeks, months and maybe years spent in prayer for Mom or Dad. Lifting them up to the Lord, asking for blessings, praying for their salvation, being intentional in travailing in our prayer closet for them to return to the Lord and to their family.
And just as the farmers need to rely on the Lord to provide the sunshine and the rain, we need to make Him the most important thing in our lives as we work for a harvest. Without His blessing of sunshine and rain, the crops would not grow. And without His blessing and love in our lives, we cannot reap a harvest.
The harvest is finished in my part of the country but the work continues, just as it continues after you reap the harvest of a family restored and rebuilt on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. The enemy will not quit. He’ll look for a way in, a crack, a small opening, where he can wreak his havoc once again. Don’t let him! Continue to pray, continue to stand strong, continue to rely on the Lord. Put the Armor of God on your family every day. Pray for a hedge of protection around what the Lord has so lovingly restored. Make the Lord your “go to guy” for any situation that comes up. Let His strong arms lift you and your family away from the fiery darts the enemy wants to throw.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9a (NLT)
It is a bountiful harvest in our part of the country this year, due in part to the hard work of the farmers, but, more importantly, because of the Lord’s gracious provision. Your hard work for you family — your prayers, your unconditional love, your forgiveness — are an important part of reaping a harvest. But it is the Lord’s love and care for your mom or dad, His desire to have families rebuilt on His firm foundation, that makes that hard work pay off. And when that bountiful harvest comes in, be sure to guard and protect it with continued prayer. It is a treasure.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
God bless,
A Stander in Nebraska
