For everything there is a season, a
time for every activity under heaven. A time to be
born and a time to die. A time to
plant and a time to harvest” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, NLT).
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
It is quite a change now-changing colors, changing temperature,
changing scenery, and even changing hearts. As I drive outside of the town,
farmers are busily but excitingly harvesting crops. And the golden fields are
becoming empty and open. However, as the land get emptied and open, the sense
of joy and thanksgiving is flooding our hearts even though we all are not
farmers in that field. Interesting, isn’t it? So now, what season are you truly
walking into?
When the Lord brought back his
exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter, and
we sang for joy” (Psalm 126, 1-2a, NLT).
About three thousand years ago, as everything went well and
prosperous, Israel forgot something important and moved far from God, I mean
they quit to follow His way, the divine and holy living. Then, the nation was
divided and weakened and people were lost. As a result of moving far away from
God’s holy living, there were full of tears because they lost their families,
their friends, their homes and even their nation through a war. And then, the
cruel Babylonian exile began. It was the season of tears after the season of
empty joy far from the holy living.
However, several decades later, Hebrew slaves were able to return
home from the exile. What a joy! It was like a dream. They were filled with
laughter. Even all other nations around them said, “What amazing things the
Lord has done for them.” In other words, they had a new season, a season of
joy.
Can we imagine that, for several decades, they had lived in a
foreign land, not by their will but by their enemy’s will, as war slaves.
Language was difference, food was different, law was different, I mean the
whole life style was different. It was a huge change, but in negative and
hostile ways; however, the biggest challenge was to keep their faith in God who
created heaven and earth, who made the promise of blessing with them. They
remembered that promise in tears.
Interestingly, in the time of tears, they were able to return to
God before they got back home from the exile. They began to plant the seeds of
faith in tears in foreign land and then they harvested the fruits of their
faith in joy!
Those who plant in tears will
harvest with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5, NLT).
Brothers and sisters in Christ, have you panted something in
tears? Then, have you harvest something with shouts of joy so that all other
people around you said, “What amazing things Lord has done for you!” Believe it
or not, we are now stepping into the season of planting again, the seed of our
faith, the seed of joy and thanksgiving, and the seed of life and light in
tears, but to harvest with shouts of true joy, eternal.
So now, I’d like to invite you to come and join us in this month
of October in the season of harvesting… I mean the season of planting to
harvest with shouts of joy some day. This is truly the time to plant, isn’t it?
So now, Join us!
Grace and Peace,
