When You Need a Harvest of Hope in Seasons of Waiting

The holidays and the final days of the year draw near. As we prepare to celebrate with joy, chances are disappointments remain from unaccomplished goals, unanswered prayers, and unexpected challenges. We long to see fruit from the work of our hands this year, but what happens when there is no harvest yet? Maybe we need a harvest of hope. Allow these faithful next steps to help you give thanks when you’re waiting for the harvest.

Hosea 10:12 serves as a guide to help prepare us for the harvest that we cannot yet see. “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” (NIV)

Sow righteousness.

Think back to the beginning of the year. What goals were at the forefront of your mind? What were you hoping to accomplish this year? Whether climbing the next rung of your career ladder or establishing healthier routines in your personal life, we often grow discouraged by the lack of progress with goals that still need to be accomplished.

If you are feeling discouraged that your hands’ work has not led to the harvest you expected this year, be encouraged and continue sowing. Plant the seeds of your resources and time, entrusting them to the Kingdom of God. Then take heart that God is, in the meantime, working to cultivate the right soil of your heart for those seeds to grow.

A gardener knows that there is much happening deep within the darkness of the dirt before our eyes take hold of growth above ground, but we so easily forget. So it is with our sowing. God asks us to continue planting the seeds in faith and then trust that He is working in the unseen.

Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” So, even though we do not yet see a harvest from our planting or an answer to our prayers, we can move forward with confidence and assurance in a living hope rooted in a living God.

Reap the fruit of God’s unfailing love.

I’m not sure about you, but it’s easy for me to expect the full harvest of my life’s work here and now. Many times, I confess that I equate God’s love for me with the amount of harvest I realize in each season. In times of lack, I am tempted to doubt his attention and care, while in times of abundance, it is easier for my lips to proclaim his goodness.

If you can relate, this verse in Hosea reminds us that as we sow righteousness, committing to use what we have for the Kingdom of God, a harvest is guaranteed. In fact, when we do not realize the full harvest of our material labor on earth, we are still promised to reap the fruit of God’s unfailing love while we wait.

Perhaps I don’t recognize the harvest of his love in my life because I’ve grown embittered by the process of waiting. Perhaps it’s due to wearying fatigue that sets in, thus creating a hardness of ground around me. If you are finding your heart hardened by unanswered prayers and the constant challenges of this year, pray that the Spirit will help you repent and “break up the unplowed ground” of your heart so that it can be prepared for more planting.

All the while, Hebrews 7:19 reminds us that we have “a better hope…through which we draw near to God.” As we pray for a harvest, celebrate with thankfulness this year, and close out the year, let’s remember the better hope that is already ours in Christ.

Seek the Lord.

During times of waiting, I am mindful that my eyes turn to earthly things for the answer to my prayers. Like the golden calf in Exodus, I am tempted to fix my gaze on the money I need to provide for the next life decision. If I feel that God’s timing is a bit slow for my liking, a new purchase offers to meet the need for temporary fulfillment. Yet, I know these earthly remedies leave my heart lacking.

Hebrews 12:2 charges us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

This verse reminds me that Jesus is the one writing my story and yours, so look to Him while waiting to see where this winding way of life leads. When unexpected challenges come, the author of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus endured the greatest suffering with joy because of a future hope. He knew in time, He would be exalted at the right hand of God to rule and reign so we, too, can find joy and endure suffering because of our future hope. In fact, when we hope in Him, we are exalting Him to His rightful place as Savior and perfecter.

The unexpected trials of this life invite us to hold all the more tightly to the enduring truth of tomorrow. Jesus, our forerunner, sets the pace of our hearts even when we feel like giving up. So, rather than simply waiting for the harvest of our faithfulness and prayers, what would it look like to wait on the Lord? Many times in my life, I find that I am more watchful for the reward than I am for how the redeemer, God, wants to move and what He wants to teach me.

Friend, in Christ, our harvest is sure even when we don’t see the fruit of our faithfulness yet. So, let’s not give up sowing righteousness, seeking the Lord, and waiting on Him. Our faithful God promises that in time, we will reap a harvest, and He will shower us with his love and provision in the waiting.