Psalm 126:5-6
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
I took this picture last summer somewhere in Nebraska. Growing up on the farm, I have such fond memories of harvest time. It seemed like a reward after all the hard work we had put in – from the first turn of the earth at the hand of the plow earlier that spring to the last pass of the combine in late summer collecting the heads of wheat. We no longer remembered gathering stones from the freshly turned soil, our hands muddy and scraped from the sandstone.
As the bins in the barn filled to overflowing, watching dad’s face, satisfied our tired bodies. Our hard work paid off as the grain was cut before the winds laid the field down or the drought dried up the heads or the rains caused mold to grow.
Searching for the perfect scripture to base today’s post on, I came across this one. It caused me to pause. A little confused and quite curious.
But slowly as I read the scene before and following, I began to see the correlation between the harvest we work with our hands and the harvest God seeks in the human heart.
Can you see?
We would work to exhaustion preparing the soil and planting the seed. Late nights – hurrying to get the fields planted before the predicted rain the next day. I remember staying with dad many a night – one night even falling asleep and slipping off the tractor as he stopped. Exhausted.
I understand the tears.
And I understand now more clearly how God refers to the human heart as being prepared for planting of the seed and the harvest at the end of the season. It requires hard and dedicated work.
I pray for the seed of belief in Jesus to take root. I pray that the winds of human desires don’t lay down the growth that begins there. I pray that the roots are strong enough to survive the droughts and the rains.
I pray for the strength to pass the seeds on to others around me who need to know Jesus. I pray for the hope of perfectly timed rain and perfectly timed sun to grow the roots deep and the stalks reaching high to the heavens.
And I pray for the harvest to be filled with joy. With deep satisfaction and eternal hope.
And I pray for the seeds to be passed on to the next generation in my family, friends and the world around us.
And for the harvest to be bountiful.
I have learned to embrace the tears in anticipation of the shouts of joy.
“Lord, hear our prayers. Lord, fill our lives with opportunities to pass on the seeds and be the planters for Your eternal harvest. Be with us Lord. We love You, Lord. Amen”
Your traveling buddy,
Janet