“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” (Luke 10:1-2)
I believe that we often fail to obey the command of Jesus found at the end of Luke 10:2. He tells us to pray for God to send out workers into His harvest. We are very quick to pray for ourselves or for our families, but how often are we praying for more Christian workers? Jesus tells us that there is plenty of work to be done. “The harvest is plentiful,” He said. However, there is a problem. He also said, “The laborers are few.” There is work to be done and not enough workers to do the work. “Therefore,” Jesus says, “Pray!”
Am I Called To Missions?
The need is massive. There are currently 3.1 Billion people who do not have access to the gospel. That is a massive number. We need to be praying for God to raise up and send out more workers into that plentiful harvest! Better yet, we need to be praying for discernment to know if we are the workers He wants to send out to reach those people! There is clearly no shortage on the harvest side of this issue. The shortage falls on the laborers side. Therefore, let’s join together to pray for God to change that reality.
Would you commit to pray for seven straight days for God to raise up and send out more laborers into our world of great need? If so, I believe the fruit could be amazing. There is power in collective prayer. I believe we could see new missionaries being sent out. I believe we could see new pastors being enlightened to new desires and gifting. We could see neighborhoods, cities, states, and even countries being flipped upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe we could see the plentiful harvest begin to shrink.
No Looking Back
The work is not easy. After telling the seventy-two followers that the need was massive, Jesus went on to tell them that He was sending them out as lambs in the midst of wolves (Luke 10:3). What happens to lambs when they are in the presence of wolves? They are in danger of being eaten alive. Jesus was not shy about letting us know ahead of time that spreading the gospel and entering the harvest is hard, bloody work. Spreading the gospel takes people willing to count the cost and still press on. It takes people willing to put their hands to the plow without looking back (Luke 9:62).
It takes people willing to put their hands to the plow without looking back.
So my invitation today is simple. There are 3.1 Billion people who live without access to the gospel at this present moment. There are billions of other people who may have access but still need someone to come and tell them. The harvest is clearly plentiful. Would you simply pray for that to change? Would you take seven days to pray for God to raise up and send out more workers into His harvest? Then, would you dare to pray for God to send you out as a worker if that is His will? If we commit to praying, we may be shocked by what we end up seeing and doing. That is an awesome thing.
The Harvest Is Plentiful
There is a massive need. We clearly do not have a shortage of opportunity. Workers are what we are lacking. The work is hard. The work is bloody. It takes committed people who want to see the world come to know Jesus. That is a worthy cause. That is a life well spent. “The harvest is plentiful. Therefore, pray!” Jesus said. Let’s decide together that we are going to pray. Too many people live outside of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need laborers ready to enter the fields. Pray to that end. Pray for God to raise you up. The harvest will shrink. God will be praised. Lives will be changed forever.
- How do you feel when you hear that 3.1 billion people currently live outside of the gospel?
- Do you feel called to any type of gospel mission work?