Thankful God Speaks the Language of Harvest

October 7, 2022 | Elisa Dorman

The great "I am" and all His marvelous ways can only be penned in metaphor. His grandeur and excellence altogether are too much for us to behold. The Bible uses ordinary things, and very often agricultural pictures, to bridge our humble minds to the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

In the unfolding of the industrial revolution and decades of urbanization, our society normalized sterile, self-sufficient lives. People became bereft of connection to the dust through which God bore our very bodies. In the process, too many of these metaphors have slipped between the fingers of our collective understanding. Much of Biblical writing is in the language of seeds and gardens, vines and fruit, sheep and fish. When these pictures grow foreign, reference points to the glorious and mysterious ways of God become vague and academic.

Producers are stewards of fluency in the language of seasons and harvest.

If you join the ancient chorus of praying for rain, you know the relief that covers us when the blessing of God arrives (Hebrews 6:7).

If you examine seed and observe it’s unfurling, you bear witness to the resurrection from death by burial - a testimony of Jesus and hope for all who believe (1 Corinthians 15:35-44).

If you agonize over soil regeneration, weed suppression or pest control, you enter the parable of the sower and the secrets of the kingdom of God (Mark 4:1-20).

If you tend vines, you trust the process of pruning and see the fruit borne out of abiding (John 15).

If you diligently plant, you know you will reap what you sow. You anticipate production according to kind, tapping into the orderliness of our God of peace and life. (Galatians 6:8-9)

If you struggle with labor shortages, you sense the grief of “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

If you lead animals to pasture, you embody the shepherd heart of Jesus to know, guide and tend to us (Psalm 23).

If in moments of wonder, science falls short to articulate the awe of birthing livestock, you ponder the miracle of the hand of God among us (1 Corinthians 3:7).

If you admire the diversity of blossoms and fragrances that speak to our senses, you breathe in the textures of the love songs God sings to us (Song of Songs).

If you had a good year, you glimpse the abundance of God in your silos (Psalm 67:6). You taste His joy at calling people to Himself (Revelation 14:15-16).

So, in a culture drifting far from the language of Biblical metaphor, let us be proud stewards of analogies for eternal life. Let us anticipate revelation of the Creator in our working and waiting. Let us expect to encounter the wisdom of God’s kingdom as we sow and reap. Let us be students of pastures and vineyards, that we may know God in His glorious ways and mysterious workings. As we take in abundant harvest, let us be filled with thankfulness, that one day God will joyfully call His children to Himself.

Elisa Dorman is a freelance writer. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKXS Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and CHLP Listowel.