“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).
In seasons of great scarcity, the poor peasants would part in sorrow with every measure of precious seed cast into the ground. It was like taking bread out of the mouths of their children. They prayed that the yield would be good. But they knew that on average only one third of the seed would make it to maturity in yielding grain. But when the grain was mature and the harvest time came, the people would come back rejoicing with the harvest.
There was also dangers in ancient times when farmers were attempting to plough and sow. Many times the government was weak or the land was being invaded. The farmers would put themselves at great risk to work their land. They would need to go to the fields armed with weapons to protect themselves. Some farmers would be killed while trying to plant their crops. Thus when they left home for the fields they would leave their families crying. But when harvest time came, much joy would be experienced by those who were able to harvest.
The work of the farmer was also very hard. Much of the land was overgrown with thorns. It required painful work to clear the land of these thorns. The soil was very rocky and much work was needed to remove these rocks. The work had to be done in all kinds of weather. Thus, many tears of pain from the work were shed. But great joy was had when the harvest time came.
Our spiritual life can be like the farmer. As we try to plant the seed of the Word we will undergo many trials. Sometimes tears will be shed when circumstances go wrong. But we can take comfort in knowing that if we continue to do our work, God will give the increase in a spiritual harvest. It is our job to keep sowing and planting the seed. We know that much of the seed will not make it to maturity to produce a spiritual crop. But what does mature will make us and God very, very happy.
Keep reading and studying your Bible. Learn what you need to know to properly plant the seed of God’s Word. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
