In February 1829, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his family received a visit at their home in Harmony, Pa., from his father, Joseph Sr.
During that visit, the Prophet received a revelation for his father that has been preserved for us today as Doctrine and Covenants 4. Through the years, it has become perhaps the most oft-quoted passage of scripture among missionaries with the possible exception of Moroni 10:4-6. Some missions in the Church take it as their theme.
Given more than a year before the Church was formally organized, the revelation announces the imminent coming of a "marvelous work" to the world. Those who are called to the work — defined as any who have a desire to serve God — are admonished to serve Him with their full capacity so that they "may stand blameless before God at the last day."
Then, with striking New Testament imagery, the Lord declares in verse 4, "For behold the field is white already to harvest."
Some readers or listeners might misinterpret the word already as all ready. Though both terms fit the construction of the sentence, there is a distinctive difference in meaning between the two. All ready means "completely ready"; already means "even now." So, what the verse is saying is that the field is ready even now for harvest.
To see why it is one and not the other, we can turn to the New Testament passage to which the scripture alludes. It is found in John 4:35, where the Lord is instructing His disciples:
"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" (emphasis added).
By reiterating this instruction in the latter-day dispensation, the Lord is telling us that there is no need for further delay; harvest time is at hand. There are people whom the Lord has already prepared to receive the gospel. The planting, cultivating, watering and fertilizing have already been accomplished. Enough time has passed. They are ripe and ready for the harvest. We just have to find them.
"Why haven't we found them?" a husband asked his wife during a discussion on the scripture. Surely the passage pertains to us in our day as it did to members in early Church history, since it is part of the scriptural canon and hence has timeless application.
After a moment's pondering, she replied, "Two things are essential: We must be praying for it specifically, and we must be actively seeking."
In the crunch of day-to-day living, we might be inclined to push to the back burner the directive to carry the good news of the gospel to our neighbor. We can hardly expect to be blessed in this undertaking if we rarely give it a thought, let alone actively work toward it.
The passage in Section 4 unequivocally promises that if we ask, we will receive.
It also lists a string of attributes that qualify one for the service of the Lord. These include faith, hope, charity, love, an eye single to God's glory, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness,humility and diligence.
It may be that internalizing or perfecting those attributes within our souls is the key that will open to us an abundant harvest in bringing souls to Christ.
We are promised that by working mightily, we do not perish but bring salvation to our own souls. This may sound self-serving, unless we consider it in the context of the promise in Doctrine and Covenants 18:16, that our joy will be great in our Father's kingdom with even one soul, and much more so with many souls, that we bring to Christ. Bringing someone to the fold of God results in a supernal bond of love and joy with that person that is carried forward into the eternities.
Such blessings can be ours if we heed the call to thrust in the sickle with our might.
