PRAYER FOR WORKERS
He said to His disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” (Matthew 9:37–38, NLT)
Just as we learned yesterday, the Lord wants us to know that prayer is not primarily self-oriented. We do pray for our own needs - yes - but we also intercede for the needs of others.
In this case, Jesus is teaching us to pray for the needs of His Kingdom as it comes to earth. There is a great need, Jesus says, for laborers, for Kingdom people who would aspire to do Kingdom work. Jesus sees the incredible harvest around Him. There are souls everywhere who are hungry and thirsty to know God and hear the Good News of the Kingdom. And Jesus sees this great need and makes His disciples aware of it. And He says, when you pray, ask the Lord to send out Kingdom laborers to help gather up this great harvest of souls.
Now, Jesus could have said "Go." You go out and you do this Kingdom work. And later on, He will say "Go." But for now He says "Pray." That is because any great work in the Kingdom of God first begins with prayer. Without prayer, there is no harvest, for without prayer, there is no one to labor in the harvest field.
Prayer will give us compassion for lost souls. Jesus looked over the crowds and He had compassion on them. Then He asked His disciples to pray for laborers in the harvest. There is something important here. Something we should not miss. It is only in prayer that we start to gain a glimpse into the compassion of God for lost souls. And it is only as we prevail in prayer that the Lord instills in us a desire to participate in Kingdom work. And it is only as we pray, that the Lord instills in others a desire to use their gifts and tools and resources to work for the Kingdom of Heaven. This is both encouraging and discouraging.
This is encouraging for those of us who desperately long for God to send a refreshing revival on our nation. For those of us who long to see Jesus reign in the hearts and minds and lives of Canadians from sea to sea, this is a word of encouragement. We see the troubles. We see the challenges. We see the division. We see the disunity. We see the great need for souls across the country. And, if we choose to pray, and ask the Lord to prepare workers and put a desire for lost souls upon their heart and mind. And if we persevere in that praying, Jesus implies here that the Father will hear our prayer and that harvest laborers will be raised up. There is an encouragement here. God is not done with us yet! If we persevere in prayer we will yet see God's Kingdom come.
Yet it is also discouraging because we all know what happens when we start to pray about something like this. We all know that ultimately, God will start to work in our own hearts and minds and that WE might be the ones who are called to serve and labor and work for the Kingdom of God. We all know that prayer has the power to change hearts, and that most often it changes our own hearts first. So this is discouraging because it is dangerous. And many of us don't pray this prayer for Kingdom laborers because we know that could mean a change to our personal plans, such as, retirement plans or career plans or financial plans, or relationship plans. The prayer for laborers is a dangerous prayer because God may ask you to give out of your resources to provide for the laborers that He sends! It is dangerous because God may eventually ask you to go.
Those who are willing to go are fervently praying this prayer. Those who are unwilling, are shying away from praying this prayer. Which are you? Could you fervently begin to pray this prayer for Kingdom laborers knowing full well that might also mean you? Or does this prayer make you uncomfortable because you know that you are unwilling to go and serve the Lord? Jesus' school of prayer is dangerous. For it causes us to look around the world and see the lost souls that Jesus sees. It causes us to humble ourselves and begin to pray and ask the Lord to send out workers, knowing full well, that we may be the answer to our own prayers.
What is God saying to me today?
My Prayer List:
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Personal Prayer:
Father, it is Your desire to see Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. I confess Lord that I am standing in the way of the coming of Your Kingdom. I confess that I have not been praying and asking for Kingdom Laborers. I confess that sometimes I am afraid to pray this prayer because You may call me and ask me to go or to serve. Father, with fear and trembling, and out a compassion for the lost souls around me, I humbly ask that You would raise up laborers for this great harvest of souls. Lord I am willing to go and serve or stay and serve and be part of this great harvest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.