Last week I talked about spiritual winter and how sometimes things may need to die before they can flourish. This week, we step into a different, yet equally important, season: the waiting. It is the space between planting and harvest. The place where something is happening, but nothing seems visible. We are often so focused on the final outcome that we miss the sacredness of the process. We long for the harvest, but grow weary in the middle. Let’s talk about how God often works unseen between planting and harvest. Let’s discover what happens in the waiting season and how faith grows in the hidden places.
We Love Harvest Season
Harvest season is joyful. No matter what it represents, it is a time to celebrate. In life, we celebrate outcomes:
- Promotions — marked by recognition, dinners, or new titles
- Healing — shared with loved ones or testified publicly
- Breakthroughs — personal victories or team successes
- Published books — milestones we want the world to see
We celebrate what has come to life., but we rarely celebrate planting. Who celebrates the long, quiet obedience? The unseen discipline? The small, faithful steps that no one applauds? Even in a garden, we don’t post pictures of the soil being turned or the seeds being buried. We share the fruit.
The same is true in our lives. We don’t often celebrate:
- the difficult treatments and lifestyle changes behind healing
- the setbacks and persistence behind a breakthrough
Even in my own journey of publishing my book, I shared moments along the way, but not every small act of obedience, every quiet writing session, every internal struggle. And yet, that was where the real work happened. We love the harvest, but remember that God does some of His greatest work in the hidden.
The Biblical Principle of Seedtime and Harvest
Remember that the Kingdom grows quietly. We may not always see the fruits of our labor, but God does produce. He needs us to work for Him and with Him. We should celebrate our season of work because the harvest is coming! Scripture reminds us that this process is not accidental, it is divine. Galatians 6:9 encourages in our work to look forward to the harvest, “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.” (usccb.org) There is a promise here, but there is also a process.
In Mark 4:26–29 Jesus reveals something profound: “He said, ‘This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.’” (usccb.org) There is mystery in the middle. Of course we need to remember that with all of our work, it is God who causes growth. 1 Corinthians 3:6 tells us this simply, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.” (usccb.org) This is where surrender meets faith. We are called to plant and to tend, but God is responsible for the growth. The Kingdom grows quietly. Faith deepens silently. Transformation often happens where no one can see. And yet, it is real.
What Happens Underground
Getting to harvest from planting is a process. Before anything breaks through the surface, something powerful is happening beneath it. For example, before a plant sprouts; roots form, systems strengthen and foundations deepen. The unseen determines what can be sustained when it becomes seen. Similarly, after a spiritual planting; character develops, pride is refined, patience is stretched and trust is being rooted more deeply in God. This is not wasted time. This is formation. God is not just preparing the harvest, He is preparing you for it. Because if the fruit grows faster than the roots, it cannot be sustained.
God often allows us seasons of growth to help us prepare for what is to come. He offers opportunities that often appear as challenges, to learn new skills, a lesson or to grow in some way. God grows our identity, specifically our identity in Him. We must recognize it and nurture it. The visibility, when we shine, comes when we are in alignment with this growth in who God created (planted) us to be.
Why the In-Between Feels Hard
Let’s be honest, this is where most of us struggle. We are eager to see the fruits of our labor so we can celebrate the harvest. Confirmation is needed. We want evidence that what we are doing matters. It can be especially hard when we have a lack of visible results, but see others celebrating their harvest. That is a time when doubt often creeps in. Especially when:
- others seem to be harvesting
- doors are opening for them
- their prayers appear to be answered
It’s easy to wonder: “What about me?” But here is the truth we must hold onto: Unseen growth is still growth. Often, the deepest transformation begins internally; a shift in mindset, a new perspective or a quiet strengthening of faith. We often do not see the hard work and inner growth of others before we witness their celebratory harvest, but it was there. So pay attention to your underlying growth and invest in it. It will make your harvest that much more grand.
Faithful in the Middle
The waiting season is where faith becomes real. During this middle time, between seeding and harvest, we often become discouraged. Our focus is on the outcome instead of the growth we cannot yet see. Remind yourself of Hebrews 12:11, “At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.” (usccb.org) Comfort yourself with Psalm 126:5, “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy.” (usccb.org) Things are happening. “Later” does come. Harvest will follow. There is a promise. So remain faithful.
- Keep watering — continue nurturing what God has placed in you
- Keep praying — even when you don’t see results
- Keep obeying — even when it feels difficult
- Keep showing up — even when it feels unnoticed
Faithfulness in the middle is not glamorous, but it is powerful.
A Season of Invitation
You may not see the harvest yet. Do not lose sight of what you are working for or what is yet to come. You may not see the harvest yet. But if you are planted in Him, growth is happening. March marks the entrance into spring; a time of preparation to plant. April follows with renewal, new life and resurrection. This is not coincidence, it is an invitation. It is an invitation to trust the process, an invitation to remain rooted and an invitation to believe that what God has started, He will complete. You are not stuck. You are being cultivated to thrive!
Let’s pray:
“Lord,
Thank You for the seasons we don’t always understand.
Help us to trust You in the waiting, to remain faithful in the unseen and to believe that You are working even when we cannot see it. Strengthen our roots so we can sustain the harvest You are preparing. Teach us to find peace in the process and joy in obedience.
Amen.”
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