September and October 2017
Psalm 126:3-6
1. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
2. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.
3. The LORD hath done great things for US whereof we are glad.
4. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.
5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
6. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
This time of the year the theme of the season is on harvest time. For the farmer it meant lots of work getting the ripened crops in the barn, filling the cans with fruits and vegetables, preparing food for the livestock to eat, and on and on, all because during the long winter months there would be no food on the ground to sustain their lives finding themselves captive to the elements. My thoughts were moved in the direction of the scripture in Psalm 26 where the sowing and reaping is mentioned. In application, we too should be steadfast in preparation to bear that precious seed. For the sake of our friends and loved ones we need to sow in prayer and tears for the Lord is soon coming. If we’re fervent to plant, the Lord will give increase and we and all “the sheaves” will be rewarded with eternal rejoicing.
I wanted to again share my testimony, the harvest experience for me. If you have known me long you know I give my testimony every chance I get. I want folks to know of the manifold mercies, and grace of my lovely Savior.
Of late, I have been doing some research on one incident that happened in my dad’s life, which ultimately affected my life greatly even though I was not born. The thought of where I am today, verses where I was 49 years ago and before, brings joy and laughter to my heart. I have been privileged to see a great harvest in my life and the lives of those I call family, because of the Lord turning the captivity of our homes into laughter, praise, and joy.
If you keep up with our schedule you saw where we were in West Virginia, my childhood state, just three weeks ago. It is always a glorious opportunity to be able to go back to the area where I grew up mainly because, taking some of the words of Amazing Grace, “I once was lost there but now I’m found, I was blind there, but now I see.” For the first thirteen years of my life, I wandered in darkness in West Virginia. I never ever heard the Gospel message, no internal mention of who God was or if there were many gods. There was no thought of the House of God on Sunday. I can’t ever remember being in church. The Lord’s name was used vainly every day without a conscience that it was offensive to anyone especially Him. However, by the providential hand of God, I was relocated to the place where the Lord wanted me to hear, for the first time, the Gospel message that Jesus loved me so much He sacrificially gave His life for me. Amidst all the turmoil of those early years, my Lord was working in those dark West Virginia hollers to bring forth a testimony not only in my life, but in the lives so many others of our family.
Going back a few short years before my birth, my dad, Lester Williams, built a bar on Bunker Hill, West Virginia, an area near Spring Hill. He moved my mother and their 8 children into a little house at the back of that bar he called, “Les’s Tavern”. Soon after, in April 1953, a serious fight broke out between my dad and a drunken customer in that building. In the scuffle, my dad shot the man. Sadly, the man died in a few hours and dad was taken off to jail. After hiring lawyers and testimonies and trial, my dad was released on a self-defense verdict, but the damage was done financially, so Les’s Tavern was sold. Shortly after the shooting, my mother became pregnant with her eleventh child which was me. Eight months after I was born, and after no doubt more abuse than a woman could stand, she left. She returned only once for a short time to finalize and sign some legal documents. I was told I was eighteen months old. She virtually disappeared and never returned. We were left with a drunken father for the next 13 years.
Psalm 126:2 says THEN…
I preach a message about Salvation which one point simply says: He(Jesus) was saving me before He saved me so He could get me to the place where He could save me. My early days were filled with the Lord’s arrangements of my release out of captivity.
What had been years of the repetitive cycles of Satanic oppressions, shortly would be broken-up and turned into eternal laughter and singing. You see, some prepared servants who were placed strategically by grace, were faithful to sow the precious seed of the Word of God to us. Miraculously, one was saved, my Sister-in-law, then two, Joe my brother, then three, I was gloriously saved, December 29, 1968. We, in turn, prayed and wept for our loved ones and sowed tears for the Lord to turn the sin of our Fathers into this life of joy unspeakable and peace that passeth all understanding. The Lord, true to His Word sent and is sending harvest time to so many of the Williams’ family. We have rejoiced watching the Lord multiply… bring the sheaves with him.
My little nephews and nieces grew up, seeing changes in their dad and mom, and soon they asked the Lord to save them. Now, my children are saved and my grandchildren are being born again. My older brother was saved shortly before his death. His son, wife and sons miraculously were snatched from the clutches of the devil. Nieces and their families are serving the Lord. Four generations have been born now, and by God’s amazing grace, we all are found, not in Satan’s small captive world of his lies, the bottle, and the sin I was born into, but we are found sitting in the marvelous, infinite, eternal life consisting of the House of God, listening to the Word of God, fellowshipping with the Son of God. What started with three people has turned into a flood tide of “streams in the south”: a multitude. In a recent tent meeting we were a part of in Morgantown, West Virginia, there were six preachers from the union of my mother and dad: two of their sons and four grandsons. Just as recent as two weeks ago, I met a first cousin, my mother’s nephew, I had no idea I had. I so rejoiced to find out he is a local pastor in the area I grew up in. His wife, son, and daughter-in-law were right alongside telling their stories of grace. THE LORD HATH DONE GREAT THINGS.
“Les’s Tavern”, the building my Dad built, was closed…went out of business. However, a group of folks wanting to worship the Lord together bought the building and turned it into a church. One of my best friends was saved in that building when he was a teenager. Ironically, my dad while laying the block for that bar, scoffing said that he was building a church. It was in this same building that my friend felt heaven when years before, the drunk that my dad shot felt hell as he lay dying and screaming, “My feet are on fire.” The two worlds met there, but Heaven has won out. The dreams of being released out of the captivity and bondage of that oppressive sinful life is no longer a dream but reality. The cycle of sin has been broken for many. Our mouths have been filled with praise, and continuous singing. There is much laughter, peace, and rejoicing over THE LORD HATH DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US.
We live in joyous reality for those that are coming out of captivity are those we can fellowship with, not around a bottle of alcohol or drugs but around the Word of God, the Lord Jesus and His Victory on Calvary, His Return, the preached Word of Truth, and “All this and Heaven too.” THE LORD HATH DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US WHEREOF WE ARE GLAD. The grip the devil has had is being crushed. The chains that had bound the generations before is being broken link by link and that by the power of the Lord to turn our captivity. WE COME AGAIN, REJOICING, BRINGING OUR SHEAVES WITH US.
Don’t give up on your dream or burden of seeing your loved ones, friends, neighbors, and fellow workers, come out of captivity of sin. The Lord will give an abundant harvest to those who sow. Be faithful to bear the load and throw out that PRECIOUS SEED that is promised not to return void. Friend, saturate that seed with prayer and tears, for we WILL DOUBTLESS be coming back bringing our sheaves with us.
HARVEST TIME
Psalm 26:1-6
…is about
Psalm 26:1 Experiencing the Prophecy (Israel was able to experience the prophecy (dream) that Jeremiah wrote about… they would return to their home-land. Joel talked about the dreams and Joseph had the dreams).
Psalm 26:2 Expressing the Praise
Psalm 26:3 Evidence or the Proof (fruit is apparent)
Psalm 26:4 Entreaty of Prayer (power of Harvest continued)
Psalm 26:5&6 Encouragement in Process (through ups and downs we can be sure of harvest, if we sow
Harvest is when scripture fulfills itself in your life-Like a dream.