The Lord of the Harvest

God is the Lord of all our harvests. Harvests of all kinds, start with seeds. The greatest trees start with the tiniest seeds, but God made the seeds which can then grow to their fullest potential in the right environment. As well as seeds in nature, there are also seeds from our words and deeds.

In 1 Kings 17 God sent Elijah to the widow of Zarephath, where He (God) had directed a widow woman to feed Elijah, although the land was in the middle of drought and famine. The wonderful thing about it is that God had not only made provision for Elijah, but He had also made provision for the widow woman and her son.

Elijah knew his God and was walking a walk of faith. However, from her perspective, all she knew was that she, and her son, were one meal away from death. In this remarkable encounter Elijah first asks her for water (which was in extremely short supply) and then before she could get it, he asked her to make some bread for him first, before her own needs. It was at this point where she could have aborted her miracle with negative thoughts or the wrong heart attitude – but she received the word of the Lord from the prophet. ‘For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again’. The word of the Lord imparted faith to her heart. Suddenly, through one small act of obedience, one seed of generosity, she entered the state of the miraculous and enjoyed the harvest of God’s provision, along with Elijah and her son.

However, yet another time of severe testing lay ahead for her. Her son died – which meant she faced death not once, but twice. But God’s answer to her problem was yet again through Elijah. It was the prophet whom she fed, who interceded with the Lord and brought her son back to life.

God’s provision for us can come through many ways. One word of encouragement from the Lord can bring someone back from the edge of an abyss in their personal lives. We may never see that person again, but God who gives the increase, can bring a rich harvest of eternal value, through that person’s life.

Zechariah 4:10 says ‘For who hath despised the day of small things?’ The tiny seeds of obedience, hope, generosity, etc in our lives may not look like much, but God can do ‘exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us’ (Ephesians 3:20).

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Help me to be quick to be obedient to You, and to act on the seeds of your life-giving word, knowing that You are our provider in all circumstances. Help me to trust You, no matter what. In Jesus’ name, Amen.