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“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’” -Matthew 9:37-38

Hello, my friends,

I like to cook dinner. But after a long day, it can honestly feel overwhelming. First comes figuring out what to make. Then checking what we have. Then maybe going to the store. Then cooking everything. What should be good can quickly begin to feel like a burden.

But when everyone jumps in, everything changes. Mason heats something up. Addie chops. Jake makes a sauce. Sarah sets the table. The music is playing, conversation is flowing, and the smells begin to fill the kitchen. What once felt like a chore becomes something shared, meaningful, and even joyful.

That is a picture of ministry.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus looks at the crowds and has compassion for them. He sees people who are weary, scattered, vulnerable, and in need of care. He does not see them as an interruption or a problem to manage. He sees them with love.

Then Jesus names the need: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Notice, Jesus does not say the harvest is hopeless. He does not say the need is too much. He says the harvest is plentiful. There is good work to be done. There are people to love, wounds to tend, burdens to carry, and hope to share.

But the work was never meant to be carried alone.

Jesus tells the disciples to pray for laborers. Then, almost immediately, He calls those same disciples by name, gives them authority, and sends them out. They pray for help, and then they become part of the help God is sending.

That is often how prayer works. We pray for the lonely, and God calls us to visit. We pray for the hungry, and God calls us to feed. We pray for the hurting, and God calls us to comfort. We pray for the church, and God calls us to serve.

The disciples were not perfect. They were ordinary people with different gifts, weaknesses, personalities, and stories. Yet Jesus called them, trusted them, empowered them, and sent them.

The same is true for us.

We are seen by Christ. We are loved by Christ. We are called by Christ. We are empowered by Christ. And then we are sent by Christ.

The harvest is plentiful.

So, before we ask, “Who will do the work?” let us first pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers.

And then, with open hearts, let us be willing to ask, “Lord, how are You sending me?”

With much love,  -Pastor Brian