Daily Devotions
Sunday, July 6, 2025
“Enter, mighty Word, the field; ripe the promise of its yield. But the reapers, oh, how few for the work there is to do!
“Lord of the harvest, great and kind, rouse to action heart and mind; Let the gath’ring nations all see Your light and heed Your call.”
Would a farmer carefully tend an orchard or a planted field and then, at harvest, leave the crops to wither and decay? Fruit and grain must be harvested at the right time. Jesus told His disciples to look up and see the fields ripe for harvest. Many people in those days had heard about the Messiah. They knew what the prophets had foretold. They listened to John the Baptist as he called on them to repent and prepare the way for the Messiah. The prophecies had been fulfilled. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, had come. Fields were ready for the harvest. It was time for people to hear the Good News and be gathered into the Kingdom.
Today we look up and see what Jesus and His disciple saw—fields ripe for harvest. As if standing in a vast field of sun-ripened wheat, we see people all around us who need to hear the Gospel. Neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members may not yet know the Good News. Some may have heard of Jesus but know little more than His Name. Others may have questions and want to know more. Yet Jesus expressed concern as He viewed the ripened fields. He told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). Our hymn expresses the same concern: “But the reapers, oh, how few for the work there is to do!” Workers are needed and we pray that the Lord of the harvest would send pastors, teachers, missionaries, and evangelists out into the world to proclaim the Gospel. We pray too that in our own lives, the Lord of the harvest would “rouse to action heart and mind.” We ask the Holy Spirit to work through our witnessing and cause the fruit of faith to grow in the hearts of those who hear the Gospel.
We can be certain that such growth will come, because the seed is the Word of God, the Good News about Jesus’ redeeming death and triumphant resurrection. Concerning the life-giving seed of His Word, God promises, “So shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). The scattered seed will take root, God will give the growth, and we will rejoice in the harvest!
WE PRAY: Lord, send workers into Your harvest fields, so that people of all nations, moved by the Spirit, will hear and respond to the call of the Gospel. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Spread the Reign of God the Lord,” which is number 830 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
- Are you able to read the land and know when crops are ready to harvest? How did you learn that?
- What would be a good read of the spiritual landscape today? Do you know people who appear ready to come into the kingdom of God?
- What can you do to help bring people into God’s kingdom?
Today's Readings:
1 Kings 21-22Acts 14