The Season of Autumn of the Soul
In this series of blogs, "Finding Jesus in the Seasons of Life," I’ve been using the changing seasons to describe the spiritual seasons of the soul. I've written about winter of the soul—a season where you’re challenged to not only hold on to your faith in God but actually grow closer in your dependence upon him. There’s springtime of the soul where God breaks through to refresh your soul and reveal himself in fresh and powerful ways. Summer of the soul is a spiritual season of growth and maturity. And today, I’ll complete this series with the Season of Autumn of the Soul.
One of my most vivid memories as a young boy was as a Boy Scout attending the Fall Jamboree at Maplewood State Park near Pelican Rapids. It was the trees that inspired me the most. The forest was a wild mosaic—a kaleidoscope of brilliant, vibrant colors where maple trees boasted their red, orange and yellow leaves. And as I climbed a steep ridge that led to a hilltop, I experienced a magnificent view of the park. As a twelve-year-old, I was mesmerized by the grandeur of colors draping the hills and was left with a lifetime impression that shaped for me what fall is about: the joyful exclamation point and culmination to the growth and new life of summer. Autumn is color, warm days and cool, crisp, clear nights. However, autumn can be thought of as a spiritual season for followers of Jesus.
The Significance of Autumn
Biblically, autumn is captivating for a different reason: its harvest time! I grew up in farm territory. The local economy hinged largely on a good harvest. In an agrarian society, the harvest is crunch time. The window between a bumper crop and crop failure is as narrow sometimes as a single day. One thunderstorm with hail and wind can ruin a season of summer growth. A good crop is a cause for great rejoicing; a ruined crop, for great distress. The season of autumn demonstrates our highest dependency on God. But how does this idea transfer to our lives in Christ?
In the scriptures, harvest time takes on an even deeper spiritual significance that becomes fully apparent in the life and mission of Jesus Christ. In John 4:35, Jesus points his disciples to the Samaritans, a group of people with whom they wanted nothing to do with, and says, “You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up, open your eyes and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.” To put it plainly, the season of autumn is the season of soul-harvest. It's the joyful culmination and exclamation point to Christian growth, when God uses his people of faith to work the fields, reaping the souls of new believers. It's a season where you and other Christ-followers who have sown Christ in the lives of others are now harvested and their lives stored for eternity in heaven.
Harvest of Souls Dependent on Prayer
There are two keys texts to consider: John 4:1–24 and Luke 10:1-37. In Luke 10 we read how Jesus sent out his disciples to do kingdom work. In v. 2, Jesus tells them, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." There are way more people ready to enter into a loving, saving, and transforming relationship with Jesus than there are Christ-followers ready to help them. Its why Jesus told his disciples to "Open your eyes!" The call of Jesus upon your life is to open your eyes and see the spiritual need of people around you. The call of Jesus is for you to be involved in the field work of the Gospel of Christ.
Jesus tells us that the field work begins with prayer ( "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" Lk. 10:2). Our prayer for those who have not committed their lives to Jesus as Savior is to ask him to send other Christ-followers to join you in the field work; preparation of the soil, planting, watering, and harvesting of the souls of people in your circle of everyday life.
Jesus points out that God and his prophets had already planted spiritual seeds in the hearts of people. John 4: 37-38 says, "You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest." God calls you and other followers of Jesus to enter into this spiritual agrarian process to plant and tend and harvest. Through followers of Jesus, the Spirit of God is scattering the seed of his Word, accelerating it to life, and nurturing it toward ripeness.
The Evil One is Active Too
I can't help but read a sense of urgency in the words of Jesus. "Wake up, open your eyes, look around!" Perhaps it's because Satan, the enemy of the human soul is also working around the clock to pluck up the seed of Jesus; to, choke it out, dry it up, and sow weeds of sin in the lives of people. The love of Jesus for people produces his sense of urgency for the harvest of souls. Do you have a passion for souls that says, "Satan, you cannot have that person!"
Remember, The window between a bumper crop and crop failure is as narrow sometimes as a single day. One demonic storm can ruin a season of planting, watering and cultivating the heart of a person. A good crop is cause for great rejoicing; a ruined crop, for great distress. Yes, there is urgency to the call of Jesus to see that the hearts of people are ready to hear about him. All he asks is for you to enter the fields and do the work of love, compassion, kindness and truth.
Three Things Jesus Asks
There are three things we need to do to finish what God begins in the hearts of people:
1. Look—pay attention to people around you. “Open your eyes and look at the fields!” Do you know how hungry people are for God? Sure, they might be wary, but they're hungry, longing for something to fill the God-hole in their heart. So many people feel empty. Deep down, they see that the things they've done to take the emptiness away have failed. Look and open your eyes to see these people.
2. Pray—ask God to send workers into the harvest. God doesn’t expect you to do it all by yourself. Jesus said we’re to pray that God would send his people of faith to those who need the Savior. Pray that opportune moments of spiritual conversations will not be missed; pray that windows of opportunities aren't squandered in the lives of people in your neighborhood, workplace and other places you frequently spend your time.
3. Go—be the answer to your own prayer. Represent Jesus to people. Join other harvesters. Listen to what Jesus says in the John 4:36-38…
“Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
For the farmer, the physical and emotional payoff of tilling the soil, planting the seeds, and cultivating comes when those returns are finally harvested. That's true in the spiritual realm as well. Autumn soul harvest is a time of happiness for everyone involved. Spiritually, those who till the soil of the heart, plant seeds of Christ’s Good News, cultivate the weeds of sin in the lives of others will share in the work and the joy of the Christ-follower who harvest's the soul of a new believer. In fact, more often than not, unbelieving people are led to faith in Jesus only after several Christ-followers have invested their lives in tilling, planting, and cultivating. So, in one way or another, the call of Jesus upon his people of faith is this:
Look and See
Pray and Go
Till the Soil of the Heart
Plant, Water and Tend
Harvest
As you represent Jesus to people around you, you’re called to be active in all of the above at one time or another—this is your autumn of the soul! The result is that even now, you can reap what you haven't sown, and have the unearned privilege of rejoicing alongside those who tilled, planted and watered.
Next Steps
1. To be active in this season of autumn of the soul and the season of harvest, you must believe that God is already moving and active around you. You are not alone as you influence people around for Jesus.
2. Are there people in your neighborhood or workplace or places you frequent that you will pray for? This week identify 1, 2, or 3 people to pray for. Ask God to prepare the soil of their heart(s); pray for them to be open to the Good News of Jesus. Ask God to send other Christ-followers to help influence their lives.
3. Get outside of yourself. Make it a way of life to Look and See, Pray and Go. Prepare the soil of hearts around you by planting seeds of God’s truth. Water with love and kindness. Tend the soil by being a friend. Be yourself. Engage in conversation. Listen as they talk. Talk about your life. Be real. Be kind. Be an encourager. Represent Jesus well as you live your life so that your deeds will support your words about Jesus.
4. Relax. Pray. God will use you in the autumn of the soul and bring you joy!
