There’s a passage I like to read with my students. It’s well known and I’m sure you’ve heard it before. It reads “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt 9:37) It’s a direct quote from Jesus. The passage comes after Jesus had walked around with the people and talked with them and healed them. He spent time with the people and observed their needs. He saw their hurt and pain. He saw how helpless they were.
Let’s look at the passage again and try to break it down.
“The harvest is plentiful”
Stop; think about that for a moment. You see, there isn’t any shortage of hurting, broken people in the world. In other words, the harvest is great. Jesus sees each harassed and helpless person in this world as a person ready for harvest. However, there’s a problem greater than all the hurting people.
“but the workers are few.”
There aren’t enough disciples ready willing and able to go out into the harvest field. There aren’t enough shepherds, mentors or healers. But Jesus doesn’t give the dark truth of our current predicament without a glimmer of hope.
“Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore,“
We have to reach out and ask for help. He’s listening.
“to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Have you been working in the field and feel like you’re working alone?
You need to reach out to Jesus and ask for help and remember that it is His field, not ours.
Have you been ignoring the call of God to go into His field?
I share this passage with my students because I want them to understand that they are the workers we have been praying for and you are too. If you are reading this then consider yourself called to go into God’s field and heal, and comfort, and mentor. We need to share the news of the gift we have been given because they’re ready to hear it.
Go out into the field and represent God is such a way that the word “Christian” will bring a smile to someone’s face.
Johnathan Coker is one of the founders of Enspire Productions. He is currently a teacher at Chisholm Trail Academy.