Jesus’ disciples accompanied him as he traveled throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing. They saw large crowds gathering to hear his gracious words. They witnessed his compassion for the people, “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:35-37).
Then he said something to the disciples that is an important guide for us as we pray. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38).
Billions of people in our world have yet to be reached with the gospel of Christ. At the same time, there is an unprecedented receptivity worldwide to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is now time, as it was in Jesus’ day, for us to pray the way he asked his disciples to pray: for the salvation of the unreached, for new efforts in evangelization, and for the Lord to send workers to tell the good news.
Jesus “saw the crowds” (Matthew 9:36). We see what we choose to see. We look away from what we do not want to see. If we follow the example of Jesus we will see the people who are lost and deceived, victims of injustice, people who are spiritually needy and without hope, who face eternity without salvation and the knowledge of God’s love. Surely we should have compassion on them, as the Savior did.
Jesus said for us to pray about this. Prayer precedes all other ministry activity. Prayer puts us in our place, an attitude of dependency upon God. It connects us with our source of strength. Prayer opens our hearts to God’s will. Prayer sensitizes us to new opportunities and makes us more responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Why does the “Lord of the harvest” desire workers for his harvest? If he is in control of the outcome (and the processes that lead to the outcome), why does he need human workers? Why doesn’t he use angels to do the job? The answer lies in the incarnation. Just as he came into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, so he sends followers of Christ into the world to represent him to the world.
Jesus said to the disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). In going as Jesus sent them, the disciples became the answer to their own prayers! If we pray for the Lord to send workers into his harvest, we shouldn’t be surprised when he does it. Maybe he is sending you into your world to tell somebody about him.
Pastor Randy Faulkner