Harvest Ready!

November 18, 2021

Harvest Ready!

I love the harvest season; people are working hard and the investment of time, money, and prayer are bearing fruit.    

As the first of November rolled in a few weeks ago, some of the corn harvest had slowed.  The moisture content was too high in some of the corn still in the fields. 

That’s a problem!  When the moisture in the corn is too high, the companies purchasing the corn pay a lower price.  The farmers often choose to wait for the moisture content to come down so they get a better price for the grain. 

Sometimes the farmer must wait until the corn says it’s harvest ready.

Long before the corn is ready for harvest, the soil must be prepared, the seed must be planted, the rains must come, and the weeds must be controlled.

Harvest is about an early season of preparation and prayer.  Harvest is about a middle season of hard work and prayer.  Harvest is about a late season of God’s timing and prayer.  However, even when it looks like the grain is ready to harvest, the grain may require just a little more time. 

The corn harvest provides some helpful lessons for our spiritual life.  In John 4:35 Jesus tells his followers; “You may say that there are still four months until harvest time.  But I tell you to look, and you will see that the fields are ripe and ready to harvest.”

Jesus was using the metaphor of a grain harvest to speak about leading people into a relationship with God.  The principles of farming and the principles of sharing our faith in Jesus are very similar. 

We sow the seeds of a friendship with another person.  We nurture and cultivate that relationship with a focus on clearing away the things that are in the way of the person saying “Yes!” to Jesus. 

Then, we ask the Holy Spirit to shower our friend with blessings and love.  When the time is right for harvest, we pray and share and invite our friend to give their heart to Jesus. 

No matter how many conversations we have had, the conversation in which we invite our friend into a relationship with Jesus happens best at a time when the Spirit is ready to harvest. 

Sometimes the Christ-follower must wait until the Spirit says it’s time to harvest.

Sometimes we rush into the conversation too soon.  More often, however, we hesitate because we never feel like it is quite the right time to initiate the conversation about Jesus. 

The disciples thought the conversations about inviting people to profess their faith in Jesus were still four months away.  They fail to see that the right time is right now.  Jesus tells them that now is the time to harvest those whom the Spirit has prepared to receive the invitation to follow Jesus.

I see the joy that flows out of a farmer when the corn harvest is finished.  I see the joy that flows out of a rancher when the cattle are taken to market.  And, I see the joy that flows out of a Christ-follower who has invited a friend to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

When we invite another person to cross the line of faith to receive Jesus, our heart will never know any greater delight.

I invite you to continue praying for your friend.  Do the preparation and the cultivation through conversations and acts of kindness.  And then when it is time for harvest, boldly invite your friend to accept Jesus as their Savior.  There is no greater delight!

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug