“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 5:9
It was late summer, and suddenly, signs of the approaching harvest seemed to be everywhere. Just the night before as I’d worked outdoors, I’d celebrated that the gardens I’d been tending all summer long were finally producing vegetables. The cornfields on the outskirts of town were ripe and ready for harvest. Even the ancient apple tree in our yard, a surprise discovery in our first summer in our new home, was dotted with bright red apples.
Some of the harvest, like the old apple tree, had come easily. But much of what was being reaped had come on the heels of weeks and months of hard, tiring, hot work. I knew this, and it made the sight of the literal fruit of that labor all the sweeter.
Still, as I drove into work that particular day, harvest was far from my mind. It had already been a long morning, full of the usual arguments and the ongoing struggles of parenting teens with mental health challenges. Despite all the work and prayer and hope we could muster, things felt stuck, and the battle seemed endless. I joined my coworkers for our morning huddle feeling depleted and spent. When they asked me to lead prayer, I had no idea where to start.
So, the words that came from my mouth in the next moment surprised me.
“Thank you, Father, for signs of a harvest. Thank you that, at the proper time, You bring fruit from the work of our hands. Help us not to grow weary in our own lives as we wait for a harvest. Help us to press on doing good, to reap a harvest at the proper time.”
Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks through others. And sometimes He speaks through our very own mouths.
The day didn’t get better from there. In fact, it was one of the most challenging days I’d had in a long time at work, followed by another tumultuous afternoon at home. By evening, I was every bit as depleted, and a “harvest” felt farther away than ever. I crawled up to the library to seek out the verse I knew had inspired my morning prayer.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
There was promise in the words of the verse, yet I couldn’t help wondering: what do we do when we are being poured out with no end in sight? When the battle feels endless and decided against us and our loved ones? When we can’t seem to catch our breath before the next wave pulls us under? How do we “not become weary in doing good,” when there is so very much evil and darkness in the world?
We lean into the Master Gardener, friends.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)
If we are the branches and He is our vine, then the survival of the fruit we bear depends on Him. We must stay connected to Him, drawing everything we need, every bit of our strength and survival, from Him. We must allow His words to feed us, His living water to water us, His love to fill us.
He knows that we grow weary. The call to “not grow weary” is meant, I believe, to turn us toward Him for strength. To persevere in Him, not in our own ability.
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)
Sometimes the growing season is long, friends. But the harvest is promised. It will come, at the proper time. Lean into Him as you wait. Draw all that you need from Him and you will see His faithful abundance when the time for harvest comes.
And how much sweeter it will be when it does.
