QUALITY WAITING (For The Rains And Harvest)

The word "Autumn" appears a handful of times in Scripture. The NIV has it recorded in Deuteronomy 11:14; Psalm 84:6; Jeremiah 5:24; Joel 2:3; James 5:7; and Jude 1:12. Most of these verses refer to seasonal rains - "the autumn and spring rains" - that God would provide for the harvest of that same season.

The one verse among these that the Holy Spirit magnified was the James 5:7 Scripture.

• Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

Right off the bat the Lord spoke to my excitement of seeing Him soon in the first sentence by saying - "Be patient". Then the Lord called my attention to us as spiritual farmers and how some of us plant, some water, some harvest, but God makes people grow or mature toward Him and in Him (1 Corinthians 3:6). Notice also the land does not just yield a crop, it yields a "valuable crop". I call these people not just Decisions for Christ, but Disciples of Christ! Individuals who continue to develop as a Christian. 

Then James mentions that the farmer has the quality of patience by observing how he "waits" for the harvest. He is patient for seasonal rains that will bring a seasonal harvest. "In Jude 1:12, false teachers are compared to “autumn trees without fruit,” implying that autumn should be a fruitful season, the most abundant of the year." The Lord can and does move at any time on anyone He chooses. However, I felt impressed upon by the Holy Spirit that this Fall and Spring, God will send an amazing spiritual rain in the Autumn and Spring that the Church will harvest within the same seasons.

How can we take advantage of these upcoming seasons? Obey God, trust His foreknowledge, and be patient knowing He has a plan. "The world may fade, the stars may fall, the seasons may change, and winter may come. But the God who has been our help in ages past is our hope for years to come. In Him we have permanence, stability, joy unshakable, and life unending." In the midst of the changing seasons, one truth, one person never changes - Jesus. His nature is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) For me who wants to rush everybody into the Kingdom and have God hurry and call us home, I hear the Lord saying loud and clear, "Not yet. You still have to exercise Quality Waiting."

(Source for Green Italic Quotes = http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/reflections-of-autumn-and-its-lone-appearance-in-the-bible-11559337.html#comments)