Harvest Fields

Scripture For Meditation — Matthew 9:37-38; John 4:35

Yesterday in our devotional, we saw how Jesus’s heart was moved with compassion when He saw the lost souls that had gathered before Him —He likened them to sheep without a shepherd.

Continuing in the following two verses that we are meditating on today, Jesus brings His disciples into the narrative by using another analogy to describe the gathered multitude—

He saw them as a ripened harvest field.

That’s yet another way He expects us to look at and see the unsaved masses around us — a ripened harvest of souls ready to be brought into the Lord’s barn.

In other words, your workplace, the place of your business , the bus or train we ride on, the school we attend, the gym you go to, the neighbourhood that we live in, the friends that we hang out with, are all potential harvest fields.

But as Jesus observed to the disciples who were listening to Him –

The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few!

What should this statement mean to you as a disciple of Jesus Christ?

There was a real danger of the ripened harvest going to waste, because there were not enough workers available to do the work to bring them into the barn as they should.

A great work of spiritual harvest is needed to be done, but the laborers were few. The problem has persisted to this day, it seems; the need is always greater than the work-force.

There is a great multitude of unsaved souls out there, whose life’s experiences and situations have primed them ready for the good news of the message of salvation! Will we allow the harvest to go to waste as the ripened fruits rot in the fields?

What are we to do?

We are to do as Jesus instructed His disciples —

Jesus enjoined His disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest!

The word “send” as used in this context, properly means to thrust out, plainly implying the exercise of some degree of force, for it is an employment that is not normally pleasing to the flesh.

Who are these “labourers”?

The labourers are Gospel ministers; whose calling is a laborious one; whose business is to labour in the word and doctrine; to be constant in prayer; to show themselves willing workmen; who preach the word in season, and out of season; and diligently discharge the calling of the Great Commission to bring souls into the kingdom — These type of people have been few in all ages and generally speaking, unfortunately, there have been more loiterers than labourers.

Are you a loiterer or a labourer?

Selah,

Pastor Wale Ola

Prayer Focus

• The first assignment is to pray for more labourers to be made available and ready for the work, and then for them to be sent out to bring in the Lord’s harvest. But we can only really pray this in sincerity if we pray with an ear open to hearing Him tell us, “You go into the harvest!”

Are you willing to pray like Prophet Isaiah did (Is 6:8)—

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

• Pray also, that he would send forth more skillful, faithful, wise, and industrious labourers into his harvest.

• Pray that he would raise up diligent workers in the conversion of sinners and the edification of saints; that He would give them a spirit for the work, call them to it, and succeed them in it

• Pray that he would give them wisdom to win souls; that he would thrust forth these labourers to bring in the harvest;

• Pray that He will increase the workmen so that more work can be done.

• Pray especially for the outreach on Saturday, that God will bless the harvest field, open the hearts of those He has prepared as His harvest, and prosper the work of the labourers to bring in the harvest.

• Pray that God will give us good weather and grant us favour with the people, and that they will be drawn to His presence as we gather in Jesus’s Name.

Amen.