Reaching the Unsaved Requires Prayer (Matt. 9:38)

"Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

Jesus stated a problem in the previous verse. He says, "The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few" (9:37). We know that this statement from Jesus is a metaphor which describes the work of evangelism. It is likened to a harvest that is ready to be reaped. And according to Jesus, souls are being prepared by God to be brought into the barn of God's kingdom, but the problem is that there are not enough laborers to work and reap the harvest. 

So is there anything that can be done about this problem? It would seem that the solution to the problem is to either get the the laborers to do their work, or get more laborers. But that’s not what Jesus says to do. He doesn’t despair or say that there needs to be more laborers. He doesn't even say, "Therefore go out and labor!"

His answer? "Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Jesus’ answer is pray earnestly! To pray with great intention, with purpose and effort. That’s what it means to pray earnestly. He even goes as far as to tell the disciples what they should pray earnestly for: "[that] the Lord of the harvest [would] send out laborers into his harvest."

Jesus commands His disciples, and us today, to pray earnestly that the Lord would sent out workers into His harvest. Notice that Jesus does not say we should pray things such as, “Lord please save the lost,” or “Lord, please save my neighbor,” or “Lord, please save my coworker.” He says to pray for laborers.

So you start praying, “Lord, please send a laborer to share the gospel with my neighbor,” or “Lord, please send a laborer to share Christ with my coworker,” and you know what happens when you start praying that way? Pretty soon you’re going to say to yourself, “Maybe it’s me that ought to share the gospel with them.” You'll come to this realization: Why am I praying for someone else to share the gospel with this person that I have daily contact with? For the disciples, they would be the answer to their own prayer because in Matthew 10, Jesus sends them out to work in the harvest by their preaching and healing.

So when you pray for someone to share Christ with the person you know needs to be saved, then you take the obvious answer that it is you that should be going to them—and the strength, motivation, and drive to go to them starts in the place of prayer.

What’s God saying to you about that person you know is lost? Is He saying “Go to them and by My laborer?” And which do you pray most often: "God please save them," or "God please use me as Your laborer in their life?" Pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He would send you into His harvest that is ready to be reaped.

Seeking Christ,
Bro. Brandon G. B.

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Bro. Brandon is the Associate Pastor

of Ohio Valley Baptist Church. His 

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