The field is busy tonight

The temperature is a balmy 18C out there tonight as I crawl into bed and the windows are wide open as we hope for a breeze to air out the house. The rumble of farm equipment out in the field continues through the night as the farmers work hard to bring in the harvest. The deadlines of winter weather are on the minds of everyone, so people are working hard to try and get as much crop off as possible while the weather allows them to.

This is their years work, their livelihood, and you don't know how much income you'll have in a year, until all the work is done and you've brought in the crops so you have something to sell.

When the weather is beautiful like it is tonight, they work in the fields as late in the night as they can. When you work like that, it gets easier to make mistakes, and mistakes made around big equipment like they use can be deadly.

So while they are out there tonight, I'm in here praying for them. Praying for safety and wakefulness. Praying for the equipment to operate well and hold together. Praying for the rain in the forecast early tomorrow to hold off and not arrive. Praying that God would provide for them no matter what the harvest is like. Praying for their spouses, some who help in the fields and others who keep them supplied with food and encouragement And all of them who put their lives on hold for these weeks and months of difficult, lonely, hard work.

Praying.

May God be gracious, and may the Lord have mercy.

Night.