I grew up a farm girl in western South Dakota and wheat harvest was always a very important and busy time.  This occasion was the culmination of intensive planning and toil and was the bulk of the family income for the year so was essential for the financial survival of all wheat farmers. It was also significant for the multitude of people whom the farmers fed…the rest of the world.

The result of the harvest is the same today as it has always been. It can be a happy time IF the crops are good and the yield is high, IF the combines continue running without breakdowns, IF the temperature stays hot and dry and IF the prices are decent.  If any of those factors are out of whack it can throw off the balance of the operation and lead to an unsuccessful harvest. Then folks are not so happy.

Those are a lot of IFs with which to deal and most are circumstances over which the farmer has little control.  He/she can do everything correctly to prepare for a perfect crop but factors come into play which can destroy it all in the blink of an eye.  Not enough or too much rain, hail, wind, bugs and disease are just a few.  Additional prayers for conditions to be positive for a successful ingathering are always lifted up. A great deal of trust is placed in the Lord to sustain farmers through this time and thankfulness and praise is lifted as well as the harvest concludes.

Many hymns address the harvest and stem from the parables Jesus shared in his teachings.  One that sticks in my mind is a song written by Matthias Claudius approximately 250 years ago and then rewritten in the early 1970s by John-Michael Tebelak and Stephen Schwartz for the musical Godspell.  It is called “All Good Gifts”.

“We plow the fields and scatter the good seed of the land, but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand: He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, the breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us are sent from heav’n above; Then thank the Lord, oh, Thank the Lord, for all His love.  We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good, the seedtime and the harvest, our life, our health, our food.  Accept the gifts we offer, for all Thy love imparts, and what Thou most desires, our humble, thankful hears. All good gifts around us are sent from heav’n above; Then thank the Lord, oh, Thank the Lord, for all His love.“

My family recently finished their yearly wheat harvest and they were blessed with an abundant crop for which they were grateful.  The fruit of their labors was excellent and will sustain them through another year. Additionally, it will be a blessing for all those whom it will nourish.  Once again, through the harvest, we see God’s unconditional love in our lives every day and in every way.

Patty