There is much work to be done. And we should not let the sin of delay tempt us to put off until tomorrow the work that God has called us to do today. All the same, our urgency in redeeming the time should not lead us into desperately grasping after it either. We must work hard and surrender control – remembering some outcomes only God can give.
This is the wisdom the farmer knows. On the one hand, if he wants a harvest he must work with a sense of urgency during the planting season – plowing the soil and planting his seeds. But the farmer cannot make his crops grow. This is a blessing he must still receive from God. And so he places his hope ultimately in God and anchors his work there. There comes a point in which he has done all he can do and must simply wait on God.
And it’s this waiting patiently without grasping that we must learn as well. This is not putting off the work that is ours to do – letting pride tempt us to believe we will always have tomorrow. But it’s also not living with anxiety and a desperate need for control – unable to fully trust in God’s goodness for us.
Like the farmer, we redeem the time given to us – making the most of every opportunity: sending the email, doing the work, planting the seed. But we do so with open hands and not clenched fists. The harvest belongs to God and we do not have to panic as if it depended on our efforts alone.
All of eternity is before us and this gives us hope and peace even as we continue to work diligently. Plant faithfully today, trusting that tomorrow still belongs to God.
