Charissa Steffens is a writer and teacher with a passion for the prophetic and scripture. Through her ministry Abiding Matters she loves to see people come closer to Father God. She hosts the podcast Abiding Matter with Charissa Steffens and writes for various online Christian publications. To contact Charissa or learn more visit abidingmatters.com.au.
The Two Harvests – A Word by Charissa Steffens
Charissa Steffens
Email: info@abidingmatters.
I came across an unusual picture recently of a shimmering wheat field abutting a dense lavender field. Both plants were in full bloom and ready for harvest. I was captivated by the contrast of the rich purple crop against the golden stalks of wheat. As I reflected upon the image, The Holy Spirit began to stir in me a sense of timing and significance regarding what I was seeing. He highlighted to me that there is more than one great harvest that has begun across the globe – there are two – a dual harvest is underway.
Harvest time is referenced throughout the bible due to the importance of the event in biblical culture. Harvest is a time of fulfillment. A time of seeing the fruits of long-awaited seeds planted in faith ripen for purpose. Harvests release purpose, bring joy, and most of all great provision.
In Christian analogies, the wheat harvest is synonymous with evangelism and bringing people to the knowledge of the saving love of Jesus Christ. (Matt 9:37-38; John 4:34-35). As the glory of the Lord increases across the Earth, we are seeing many begin to open their ‘ears’ to the truth of the revelation of Jesus. As the cares of this world weigh people down, they are searching for The Truth, The Way, and The Life that only Jesus brings (John 14:16).
When wheat is harvested its most common purpose is to produce flour for a daily staple – bread. Our salvation experience is our daily bread, it is what keeps us living and moving forward each day. When Jesus said in Matthew 6:11 “Give us our daily bread” he showed the significance of how our daily needs are met through this saving relationship. The Lord of the Harvest has been preparing many to become one with The Bread of Life in the months and years ahead.
While this great revelation of salvation is being poured out across the globe, there is currently another crop that is being harvested – the lavender crop. Lavender or a form of it is represented in the Bible as spikenard or nard.
It is transformed for its purpose by crushing into a precious and powerful anointing oil or perfume that is used to fragrance, purify, and heal. It was so fragrant that the amount of it used to anoint Jesus filled the whole house (John 12:8-11).
This crop is a costly crop, its preparation for harvest is longer and it must withstand many more seasons than the wheat crop which ripens quickly. It is a harvest of intimacy that produces the most precious produce. A harvest of the poured-out ones – the ones whose greatest desire is Jesus. Just like Mary in John 12:3 and David in 1 Samuel 13:14, this is a harvest of ones who declare back to Jesus “You’ve captured my heart, dear friend. You looked at me, and I fell in love.” SOS 4:9
This harvest will produce healing, resurrection, and miracles as they awaken to a new level of intimacy with Jesus. Things that were once dead, areas that seemed impossible, things that were lost – these ones will carry the anointing to see the turnaround needed. In biblical times people would put solid cones of salves of Nard on their heads and it would melt and cover their bodies with perfume. This is representative of how these ones will operate, drenched in the anointing and fragrance of Christ.
The Body of Christ is being invited to partake in these two great harvests in the months and years in front of us. We are not spectators, rather we who have been through the wheat harvest are to submit ourselves to be harvested once again. To surrender all back to Jesus, the Lord of the Harvest, wherever we are in our journey with Him.
We are being called to be harvested first before we can harvest. It is only in the crushing that we can release what is needed in the months and years to come, the powerful fragrance and anointing that will bring the transformation of our nations. As we allow Jesus to harvest us, we will be released to harvest others. This is not a harvest of the many by a few but a dual harvest simultaneously by all.
Matthew 9:37 NLT He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.”
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