Matthew 9

Devotional:
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.” (Matt. 9:37-38).

Jesus is speaking in terms readily understandable to his listeners who lived in an agricultural culture. We may not all be farmers, but surely we comprehend the farmer’s urgent need to gather in the harvest when the crops are ready. It would be a needless, disastrous waste of the time and effort he and his farmhands spent in tilling, planting, fertilizing and irrigating (see 1 Corinthians 3:6) if the farmer allowed perfectly good crops to go unharvested, to wither and die in the fields. Jesus urgently needs workers like you and me to bring in his harvest … and to pray that more workers pitch in and give us a hand. Even if we are not farmers by vocation, we can be involved in a harvest – that of the kingdom.

Pray it:
Father, I ask you to raise up and send out more workers into your harvest: those traveling overseas on mission to spread your Word, those called to full-time ministry, and those serving as volunteers in various ministries. Help me to remember that I am an ambassador and laborer for your work wherever you send me today.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?