Gardening the Soul: The Harvest, 6

A Bitter Harvest

Haggai was sent by God to ask the Jews to reflect on their puny harvest:

"You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." (1:5f)

Why were these frustrated people troubled by the proverbial “hole in the pocket?” God explained: "What you brought home, I blew away. Why? Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house." (1:9f). As the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon (6th century B.C.) and began the rugged task of rebuilding their wrecked nation, they became consumed with their own homes. They had gone beyond providing shelter—they now lived in “paneled houses” while God's house lay unfinished and unusable. As a result of this lengthy neglect of their spiritual duties, God sent a bitter harvest as a warning.

These procrastinators, though, had an excuse: "the time has not yet come." How often have we puckered up our lips from bitter fruit but told God, "The time has not yet come." We taste the pungent fruit of a depressed child but say, "I know he needs more of my time, Lord, but I've got this new job." Or we taste the hard, unripe fruit of a chilled heart toward God and say, "Lord, I know I have been ignoring you, but I’ll get started after the holidays.” Or we taste the bitter fruit of marital conflict but promise to seek help when our child’s hockey season is over.

The perfect time never comes. Make plans TODAY to tackle an issue you know God wants you to deal with.