Bringing in the Sheaves

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping—
we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves,
bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves,
bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
by and by the harvest and the labor ended—
we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
when our weeping’s over He will bid us welcome—
we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
— Knowles Shaw (1874)

Just before Alben Shaw died, he placed his cherished violin in the hands of his young son, Knowles. Then, with the urgency of a father’s final words, he gave him two instructions: “Be good to your mother, and prepare to meet your God.”

Knowles was about twelve years old. With his father gone, he left school and worked tirelessly on the family’s small Indiana farm, helping support his mother and two sisters. Whenever he could earn a little extra money, he carried his violin to community gatherings and square dances, playing late into the night.

Then, during one lively party, his father’s words broke through the music: “Prepare to meet your God.” Knowles stopped playing. He put away the violin, prayed for forgiveness, and attended the first church service he could find. Little by little, he learned what it meant to follow Christ.

At twenty-six, Knowles began preaching. Within two years, people across Indiana knew him as the “singing evangelist.” One day, after reading Psalm 126:5–6 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy”—he wrote the hymn that would carry his message onward.

Knowles died in a train accident when he was only 43, but in his short time of evangelistic ministry, he saw at least 11,000 make the decision to trust Christ for their salvation. That is quite a harvest! A remarkable harvest from a faithful life.