Thursday, November 10, 2011 9:17 am

Gary Miller

Rifle season just opened in Kentucky. Tennessee and Virginia will join the party in a few days. This is, undoubtedly, the best time of the year to be in the deer woods in most states. The bucks are either cruising in search of a doe or they are already chasing one. You folks in Louisiana and Alabama need to take a trip up to your northern neighbors. Any day and any time is the right time to be hunting for a good buck. Take a vacation, pack a lunch, and stay in the woods, because this will be your best opportunity for a wall-hanger.

            In some states, deer season opens as early as August and stays open through January. But no matter how long it may stay open, there are still only a few short weeks that are considered prime hunting days. We hunters affectionately know these days as the rut. It’s when the bucks are all hyped up and ready to breed. Their necks swell. They get irritable, and even forgo food for the chance of finding a doe that’s in heat. It’s during these times that hunters have to take advantage of the opportunity, because these days won’t last long. They’re numbered. The time will be short. We must be urgent in our pursuit.

When I think about this scenario, I think about the Lord’s words to his followers. The Bible says, “He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.”

It’s like He was saying this is the very best time to hunt, but there are too few hunters. His harvest however, was not deer but people. His desire was to meet their needs and to bring them salvation, but there were not enough of his own hunters who were willing to go into the field. If you notice these words, you will note that Jesus never said to pray for the harvest. His command was to pray for workers. Today, I fear that we spend too much time praying for the harvest when it is already ripe and not enough time praying for harvesters. I hope that you will sense the urgency of the hour. The harvest is too great. The time is too short. And just as this special hunting season will soon pass, even so will the opportunity that some will have to hear the life-changing message that you can share.