Day 325 

Ezekiel 42:1-43:27; James 5:1-20; Psalm 119:1-
16; Proverbs 28:6-7

Looking for the Harvest

In James’ letter, he tells us to be patient and then uses the illustration of a farmer to highlight what that patience looks like. A farmer only sees the little seed that goes into the ground and then doesn’t even see that. He tends the ground, watches the rain feed the soil, and anticipates bringing up the finished fruit that will be harvested. Ezekiel is also seeing a future harvest. The city of Jerusalem has been destroyed and her people have been planted in a foreign land. The Temple where they would connect with God has been destroyed, and the Israelites can only see the brokenness of their current situation. It’s at the point when they are broken that God shows Ezekiel the final harvest, the new Temple that will come with the promise of God dwelling among them once again.

What do we see in the broken ground of our own lives? Do we only see the hopelessness of our current situation? It’s at these points in our lives that we need to look ahead at the coming harvest God is bringing into our lives. It is hard to endure suffering with patience, but God is not calling us to do it alone. He comes pouring life-giving rain onto our lives. As we anticipate God moving in our lives, God Himself is looking forward to the Child of God we are becoming. So let us plant God’s Word in our hearts in anticipation of the life He is growing within us.

The Rev. Paul Head
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Winter Haven, FL