The harvest is ripe, but…
Jesus said the harvest is ripe, so why doesn’t it feel like it?
I read this scripture a few days ago and I have been wrestling with it since then.
John 4:34-36
“Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!”
The fields are already ripe for harvest.
The fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life.
Every week, as I have conversations with people around me, I pray that the Father is drawing people to Him.
Months go by… Am I not saying the right things? Does my presence even make a difference? Am I not trying hard enough?
These questions have been running through my mind, and I have spent much time in prayer about it.
Once again, God is there to answer. He answered through scripture and through a flashback of my own journey to eternal life.
First, He answered through scripture. I opened my Bible, and the first thing I saw was, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.” Matthew 7:7. This reminded me of another scripture that I hold close to my heart – 1 John 5:14. “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”
This gave me a renewed hope that I will be able to bring even one person to Christ; I just need to keep praying for them.
Second, God answered through a flashback of my own life.
When I was in high school, I had a Chemistry teacher (Carozza) that I had lunch with every day for a year. He talked to me about God, and I am confident that he prayed for me each day, and he even gave me a Bible before I graduated. So, God put me in his shoes for a moment. God said, “How do you think Carozza felt when you graduated and left without believing in God after all the conversations you two had together? How do you think he felt when years went by and you still didn’t believe?” (Little did Carozza know, four years later I would ask him to baptize me.)
Then he reminded me of my roommate, Taylyn. We went to high school but did not talk until college. Little did I know that she had started to pray for me while we were still in high school. We became roommates sophomore year of college. She answered questions I had about the bible, took me to bible studies, and lived an exemplary lifestyle. Yet, it wasn’t until a year and a half later that my stubborn self would finally believe that Jesus was a real person. That means she prayed for me for at least three and a half years. So, God said, “How do you think Taylyn felt during those three years? Do you think she wondered if you would ever believe since you were so hard headed? But she never gave up on you. And she kept praying.”
Moral of the scriptures – keep on PRAYING.
Moral of my flashbacks – keep on PATIENTLY PRAYING.
We know that God will give us what we ask for when we ask for what pleases him.
The fields are ripe. The fruit is people brought to eternal life.
This is my heart.
Love, Brish
