Genesis 8:22 in the New Living Translation says, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Many who have planted a seed know that there are certain actions, along with the passage of time, that are required for it to grow and mature into its designated being. The law of seedtime and harvest is a perpetual, irreversible law of God. Some might say that it is a covenant of exemption from hardship.
The sower
The Bible is full of stories about seeds. But to understand seedtime and harvest, you must first understand the sower. The first question, though, is who or what is the seed?
Some people believe that your seed is only giving and finances. The seed has little to do with money and everything to do with your life practices, including your relationship with God. So, the sower is anyone who desires to see an outcome on the earth.
The body of Christ is patterning itself after God, who is the original sower. Jeremiah 29:11 in the New Living Translation (NLT) says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
By the same token, Satan is also a sower. He roams to and fro seeking whom he may destroy. He desires certain outcomes on the earth. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
The seed
The seed is anything capable of producing within a season of harvest. That includes your thoughts, words, deeds, and anger. A man can be a seed; almost anything can function as a seed. If you plant wickedness, hatred, or even slumber when it would be wiser to work, there is an expected outcome to your actions.
The soil
How the seed grows does not just depend on the quality of the seed. It also depends on the quality of the soil. The parable of the sower, told in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8, tells the story of a farmer scattering seeds. Some seeds fell along the path, some in rocky places, others among thorns, and others fell on good soil, where they produced a crop.
The birds ate the seeds that fell along the path. This represents those who hear the word but do not accept or understand it. The seed that fell on the rocky ground grew quickly in the shallow soil but died just as quickly in the heat of the day.
This represents those who receive the word but whose faith is not strong enough to stand during trials. The seeds that grew among the thorns represent those who allow the worries of life to make them turn away from God.
Lastly, the seeds that fell on good ground represent those who understand and stand on the word of God. To make it plain, the soil is man’s heart. Proverbs 4:23 in the New International Version (NIV) says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” If you decide to read that passage, start with verse 19 to get the full meaning of the text.
The harvest
Do not be deceived. The harvest reflects the quality of a man’s life and is dependent on the seeds he plants in the earth. God reaps a harvest in the earth, and His angels gather His harvest, for they are instruments of God. Humanity reaps a harvest from what it has planted, good or bad.
Believe it or not, someone else can plant in your garden and reap your harvest, but that is a lesson for another time.
Know that for the body of Christ, Satan reaps no harvest upon the earth. He is already defeated. He plants in vain. Several verses in the Bible speak about reaping a harvest.
One such verse is in Galatians 6:9 NIV, and it says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
The promises of God are dependent on our consistency and steadfastness, for the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” according to 2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV. Because there is time between the planting and the reaping, understand that you cannot wait until the night before you need to plant the seed.
Any farmer will tell you that there is a season for planting and a season for harvesting. Both take time. Both are processes that cannot be altered.
Sharon Lewis is a licensed minister and leader of Christian Quest Ministries in Cleveland. She holds degrees from John Carroll University and Cleveland State University and is a certified functional nutrition counselor.
