Sow in Tears; Reap in Joy

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”      NIV

     
     The Bible is so accurate, so faithful to life. It doesn’t give us a rosy, false picture of what life is like. It shows us both the dark and the light, the evil and the good, the hard and the enjoyable, the bitter and the sweet.

     And it says that, in effect, if we want to reap we are going to have to sow. That’s a law of life; it’s a law of the universe. It says that sowing will be done with tears, but reaping will come with joy. That’s faith, you see. You’ve got to go out with your seed even in tears, to scatter the seed and be willing to wait, and to wait upon God and let Him bring forth the harvest which He’s promised. But the promise is so beautiful, “He that goes out weeping carrying seed to sow will return with songs of joy carrying sheaves with him.”

     Let this be a message to you. If you are feeling discouraged, if you are feeling that somehow things aren’t going the way you want them to, that you are working and seeing so few and such indeterminate results, just be prepared to weep. But go on sowing, because God has promised that if you sow the good seed, even weeping, there’ll come a day when you’ll carry back your arms full of sheaves with songs of joy. Don’t be afraid to sow even in tears, you’ll reap with songs of joy.

- Derek Prince