The Harvester

The above picture is called "the Harvester" by LeMoine FitzGerald of the "Group of Seven".  Today as I sat in my office praying, and was trying to "enter God's presence", God gently reminded me that while I was always welcome "to come to His Throne" -- that in fact He is always right here with me--even right now in my office.

At this reminder I boldly said--"O Lord I want to see and feel You tangibly HERE"...and I waited...soon I started to feel like I had no real idea what I was looking for...but I had a sense that God wanted me to keep waiting with my eyes open -- more time past and I felt less and less confident that I would encounter anything "supernatural"... then my eyes came to this picture which is on my calendar.  It's not the first time I looked at it, nor the first time I read the title of that painting -- but this time when I did my breath caught in my throat and I knew God was pressing in and speaking.

Just the other day I past a couple farmers, drenched in sweat from baling hay all day--and I recalled my teen years when I worked on farms, and among other things had to help with loading and unloading hay during the harvest--it is HARD WORK!  But it is also satisfying work for you get to see the bounty of the harvest pile up in front of you--and the better the harvest, the harder you need to work.

For the past 8 months I have tried every single day to pray the prayer that Jesus told us to pray in Luke 10:2--"The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.  Therefore, PRAY to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."  Right after this Jesus then says to His disciples: "Now go; I am sending you out like lambs among wolves."

(my alarm on my phone has just gone off--10:02am -- to remind me to pray that very prayer again!)

Here is the point I want Christians to hear -- especially my church family of Crossings:

Jesus said the harvest is ABUNDANT.  In fact in Acton, already many years ago we have had people who have seen visions of Acton as a golden wheat field; and other visions of people crying out to Jesus in the streets of Acton!  The Harvest is ready and it is abundant!

But are the workers ready?  Are the workers willing to put in the hard work that the harvest requires?

Remember, the more abundant the harvest the harder the work that is to be done--BUT--don't miss this--the greater the harvest the more abundant the JOY of the work.

God has called us into HIS harvest to be co-labourers with Him!  Dear Christian will you put on your work clothes, walk out into the harvest field and work hard?  Are you willing to sweat and feel the sting of the hard work of harvesting?  Are you willing even to be like a sheep among wolves?

It is time!  The harvest is abundant --- where are the workers?  Where are the ones willing to give themselves to the Mission God is calling us into?  Are you watching from the edge of the field?

There are long hard hours of harvest ahead -- it will not be easy -- BUT -- there will be GREAT JOY at the harvest -- and the Spirit will fill His workers with abundant provision for all that we need!   All the hard work will be more than worth it!

PRACTICAL WAYS TO START:

-Pray -- perhaps you want to join me in setting your alarm for 10:02am every day to remind you to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send labourers.

-Pray for open doors and opportunity to share the gospel -- and go into each day expectantly

-Join other workers so you can work alongside -- encouraging each other, praying together, strengthening each other and spurring each other on.  (Crossings folks -- in the fall -- join a "Missional Community" to learn with others how to live out the mission in the everyday stuff of life!)

-As Jesus said -- "Now Go..."  --- get out there -- you may not know exactly how to do what you need to do--But once you are in the field, especially along with others, you will quickly learn -- but you need to "GO" -- you cannot harvest from the sidelines!