Sometimes, in various seasons of life, the Lord will give me a scripture which I can place as a banner over my life for a precise time. Perhaps it is one of comfort, encouragement, loving rebuke, or a promise. I hold dear each of these verses and I can look back and remember how the Lord specifically ministered to me in an exceptionally intimate way through His Word.

Galatians 6:9 has been one of those verses. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

I have to admit that in many things in life that would be considered “good,” I have quit. For example, sewing. I love to sew. I can sew a total of three things: aprons, stockings, and pillows. But, if you were to look in my sewing box, you would find several unfinished projects. I tend to stop trying at the first glitch that comes along: thread breakage, cutting wrong size patterns, crooked hemlines, puckered seams, slightly crooked topstitching.

Yes, this analogy has minimal value and significance in the grand scheme of life, but what about those things the Lord is calling us to be faithful in which do matter? Things that are not easy to be diligent in. Things that seem to have no silver lining or happy ending. Maybe it is obedience to God in a certain area of our lives: praying for a loved one, praying for restoration with a loved one, waiting on a spouse or job, or maybe just being diligent while we are waiting for a change in any circumstance.

There are several biblical examples of those who did not give up in doing what God had called them to do and the Lord blessed them for it: Hannah pleaded with the Lord for a son and endured much opposition, yet remained faithful and gave birth to Samuel by the grace of God. Jacob waited for Rachel, in the Book of Genesis, for 14 years so that he could reap the harvest of being married to the woman God had in store for him. The Apostle Paul said, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV).

I can think of others who gave up; they grew weary of doing good and missed out on the harvest that was coming: Sampson was robbed of His incredible strength because he gave in to the obstacle of temptation. The Rich Young Ruler in the Gospels had a desire to do right, but when the stakes were high he gave up and lost heart.

Oftentimes it can be hard to continue to do the right thing when we are being hard pressed or challenged in it. But in God’s timing, we too will reap a harvest if we do not grow weary in doing good!