The rebuilding of the Temple had stalled. God's people had lost focus and His work was unfinished. God had withheld His blessings to awaken the people and bring them to repentance. Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord asked, "Is the seed still in the barn?" (Hag. 2:19). For them, the seed was gone. Nothing was left. God had removed His blessing from them because they had moved their hearts away from Him.

In the Parable of the Sower, the word of God is likened to seed that is sown in the hearts of men (Luke 8:11). When the gospel is sown in the good and honest heart, it will grow and bear fruit. The task set before Christians is the work of sowing this seed into the hearts of men. The question asked by Haggai is applicable to this important work. Is the seed (the word of God) being sown into the hearts of our neighbors, relatives, and friends - or is it still in the barn?

Regarding the harvest of lost souls, the Lord said, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Luke 10:2). Not only do you and I need to be praying this prayer, we need to be answering it by doing our part to sow the seed of the kingdom into the hearts of men and women around us today!