The Law of the Harvest

To the Galatians Paul taught what has been labeled the law of the harvest: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  I attempted to teach this principle to my young children last night and focused on the fact that it takes time to get results, whatever it is that they are trying to accomplish.   When considering the earthly law of the harvest we basically know how much time it takes; a farmer who grows corn or wheat or any other crop will know when to plant and when to expect to harvest.  It may not produce the food in a day, but it does happen with consistency.  The challenge for us in the gospel law of the harvest is that the time it takes to reap what we have sowed is not known in advance. 

                One example of this is in gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon.  To do so we must “sow” what Moroni taught us: we must read and ponder and pray with a sincere heart to know the truthfulness (see Moroni 10:3-5).  He promises us that by the power of the Holy Ghost we will receive an answer, he does not promise when that will come.  As Elder LeGrand Curtis Jr. taught recently, “Some people have such a powerful experience with the Book of Mormon the first time they open it, but for others the witness of the truthfulness comes more gradually as they read and pray about it….  For yet others, a testimony of the Book of Mormon comes more slowly, after much study and prayer.”  This same thing is true for revelation in general; sometimes answers come immediately to our prayers, and sometimes it takes much longer—just ask Zacharias and Elisabeth.  When the spiritual “harvest” that we seek takes more time than we expect, we have to be careful not to give up simply because heaven does not answer us according to our timetable.  It may be that we “have need of patience, that, after [we] have done the will of God, [we] might receive this promise” (Hebrews 10:36).  As Elder Holland taught, “Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.”  In the gospel law of the harvest we have to sow our faith in Jesus Christ and work to reap the “tree springing up unto everlasting life” even if we have no one to tell us how long it takes for such a harvest to occur (Alma 32:.41).

                After mentioning the law of the harvest Paul taught, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).  This is the same thing that the Lord taught us in our dispensation: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).  We do indeed reap what we sow, but in spiritual matters we often must work with “faith with great diligence, and with patience” to receive the blessings we seek of “the Lord of the harvest” (Alma 26:7, 32:41).