Odessa Christ Lutheran Church

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Ministering Together In Christ

Inspirational Sermons

Waiting

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

The farmer who sows the seed for a crop will need to wait until the next step in the process of raising the crop. Before the first seed is planted, the element of soil preparation is critical to a bountiful harvest. Adding fertilizer and ensuring that the right balance of nutrients are in the soil must happen for a healthy crop. Later, the period of waiting for the harvest often includes managing irrigation, weed and pest control, knowing weather conditions, managing seed moisture content, and understanding the correct timing for the harvest. The farmer must also have an understanding of the market prices for when to deliver the crop. Invading rodents or birds must be managed, and there are other aspects crop production that have to be addressed, such as improper soil moisture content which can produce damaging molds.

Not all of us are farmers, but we need to know that the discipline of being a farmer is much more involved than what most of us may think. They do not just sit around when they await the harvest. They are “shepherds” of their crop.

In early days prior to the concept of maximization of profits, 10% of the crop was to be left in the field for the poor and the widowed to be able to gather, at no cost, to care for their own needs. Not to leave that 10% was to steal from them and to “steal from God” who had given the harvest. So, the farmer as well as the widowed and the poor would wait for the harvest.

The most difficult challenge for us in a supply on-demand and instant gratification society is the concept of waiting. We are tasked to wait the decline in the COVID - 19 devastation on our compromised communities. Waiting is difficult for us in our culture. I believe that the word “patience” was thrown out of the dictionary as unproductive, but now we need to bring it back.

This does not mean that our life is on hold. No, rather we have been given an amazing opportunity to cherish the relationships that we have taken for granted, to nurture our children and teach them life values that are not able to be taught in school. We have taken touching and hand-shaking for granted, but not any more. We have let our relentless pursuit of business smother the more sensitive needs we have. “Waiting” is an opportunity to return to health and bring our divided lives back together. This time of “waiting” gives us the opportunity to care for the needy among us. Let us never forget what we can learn, and the lives and love we can restore, through waiting. A bountiful harvest of love awaits us.

Pastor Nathan