Pray Ye Therefore

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38) These were the words Jesus spoke after traveling through a number of Galilean cities and villages teaching and preaching the Gospel. He saw the people, so many people, who were weak, wandering and without leadership and responded to his disciples with this plea to pray for laborers.

I find this prayer very instructive. Jesus was amazing when it came to communicating profundity with such brevity. In this prayer we are told to pray to the Lord of the harvest. We know that the word “Lord” means controller, master, supreme authority. We also understand that the word “harvest” is used as a metaphor with reference to the many souls that need to be reconciled to God and made part of His heavenly kingdom. The fact that we are directed to make petition to the One who has supreme authority over the process by which lost sinners are brought into a saving relationship with their God surely magnifies the necessity of prayer in this endeavor.

But look at the focus of the prayer. We are not merely instructed to pray for the lost; we are instructed to pray for laborers to reach the lost. And just where might these laborers come from? Does God make them appear out of thin air? No, He raises them up among His people in response to the prayers of His people.

In Judges 3:9 we see this demonstrated among God’s people in the Old Testament, “And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer…” How did God do this? “And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered…” (Judges 3:10) God found a man among His people and filled Him with His power and that man went out to battle and God miraculously delivered. And what was the catalyst for all this? The cries, the fervent prayers of believers!

So, pray ye therefore dear Christian. Pray to the One who oversees the heavenly harvest. Pray to the One who pours out His powerful Spirit upon men and women to achieve His desired ends. Pray to the One who can make a difference in our church, our city, our country and our world. And by all means be ready for whatever part He might give you.