I was able to share this story with a group of friends recently, thought you might be encouraged too.
David was a seven-year-old boy in a kids ministry I pastored many years ago. His parents were recovering drug addicts–dealers. As I prayed about how to help David and other kids in the ministry like him, I felt the Lord give me a word. “Tell them about me, and teach them how to worship and pray.” And that’s what I did week after week. When the time came for me to move to another city, I had a hard time leaving David. His parents’ recovery was inconsistent, which made for unstable family life. And, statistically, I knew the odds were stacked against him. The Lord gave me a word for David. “Show him what worship looks like inside his home.” So I went to see him the day before I moved, and we worshiped and prayed together in his home—his living room, his bedroom, his hideout.
Twelve years later, I received a phone call from a friend who still lived in that area. She said, “We saw David last week at a city-wide youth event. He asked about you and told us to tell you that he remembers everything you taught about worship.” I was trying to comprehend what I was hearing. “David Jones? Is he doing okay?” I asked. “Yes! He was the worship leader for the meeting. It was incredible!” I was stunned. I wept for the remainder of the day in joy at God’s faithfulness.
I’m sharing this story to remind us that we rarely harvest in the same season we sow. Tulips planted in the fall will bloom in spring. Babies conceived in July are born the next April. Similarly, when we sow the word of God, it can be days, months, years before we see it come to fruition. Don’t grow weary. Whether you’re sowing into a child, a student, a small group, a congregation, the word of God will not return void (Isaiah 55). We don’t have to fret or obsess while we wait for the harvest. We get to trust a very good, faithful God.
*names have been changed for privacy
Brave Sparrow 