"Pray Ye The Lord of the Harvest"

Just as God has prepared for even the most insignificant of creatures, we may be confident in His provision for us. The farmer who opens the ground of the field should do so with the understanding that it is not the harrow which has prepared the field, but it is God who prepares the field for the harrow.

After one realizes that God has prepared all of creation for his or her blessing, life breaks loose. God has placed us in the center of an eternal, continual plan. Because of God, our labor for heaven is productive and full of prospect. In fact, the term "Abundant Life" relates directly to that life with purpose.

When I speak of the blessing, clearly I mean the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, God has chosen us to bless the world with the truth that the Kingdom has come, Jesus came to live, was buried, raised from the dead, lives today, and is coming again. We bless the world as we serve that gospel to others. As pure and simple as the declaration, the implications upon humankind

are innumerable. How fathomless is the meaning and force of that gospel. The harvest is the gathering of all who respond in faith to that blessing. It is a harvest which is Holy Spirit induced, Jesus bought, Word confirmed, and God glorified.

As our discussion grows from preparation for the blessing, we turn to the purpose of the blessing which is the harvest and beyond. It is a long jump over days, months, and seasons to what seems to be the end of labor. How poor a farmer would one be, however, if the harvest were truly the end. In reality one does not, ultimately, enjoy harvest without projecting beyond the harvest. So it is with Christ in the work of the harvest. His heart is beyond, not to further preparation as is the case with human mind, but to eternal enjoyment of what God has provided.

To pray the Lord of the harvest goes beyond asking God to participate. It means that we who labor, acknowledge that it is God's harvest and not our own. We wait for Him as we hand our blessing to the world. Consider this to be what distinguishes our labors from those of the world. When every worldly organization responds to human need as to feed the hungry, care for the orphans, employ the unemployed, or care for the elderly many do so with earthly ends in mind. Or they may do so with the idea that perhaps God will notice and reward them for their good works. Some, I have heard them say, are purposely "out performing" God in order to prove that human care originates in the human heart. The follower of Jesus labors as though God who performed the requirements of the Gospel owns the results of the labor. God is not an afterthought or his honor a by-product.