Pray to the Lord of the harvest

Dear Church, and everyone who is part of GFC, this is a short message for you: Pray to the Lord of the harvest! You may ask: “What should we pray for?”

“The he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” (Matt. 9:37-38)

Prayer addresses two key aspects of missionary service: 1) The reluctance of people to leave their comfort for the sake of spreading Christ’s Kingdom in this world, and 2) The sending of individuals into the mission field who should not be there! It is the second point we want to emphasize now. Let’s look at a few biblical examples where taking initiative for God without His will led to disastrous consequences.

(Numbers 16:1-35) The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
These Levites were not satisfied with their Levitical service; they resisted the leadership of Moses and Aaron. How many ministries have begun not out of zeal for the Lord, but out of a spirit of rivalry or a desire for power and control? Let us pray that every ministry is founded on dedication to the Lord.

(1 Samuel 13:8-14) The impatience of Saul
At first, the circumstances seemed to demand that Saul offer the sacrifice and begin the battel, but this was an act of distrust in God! God is never late, even when we feel the time to act is now. Remember Moses, who when he was 40 wanted to help his people by killing an Egyptian, but God had a different plan—one in which Moses would spend 40 years in the wilderness to humble himself and grow in dependance on God before leading a rebellious nation for another 40 years. Let us pray that we all learn to wait, trust God, and not be discouraged when preparation takes years.

(2 Chronicles 26:16-21) The pride of Uzziah
Sadly, pride is also at times is present in ministry. I was Uzziah’s pride that led him to enter the temple and burn incense, but God struck him with leprosy because he arrogantly assumed the role of a priest despite being a king. God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble! Let us pray that our evangelism, missionary projects, church planting, or sending out workers is never driven by pride, personal glory, or self-promotion of the church.

(Acts 19:11-17) The lack of personal relationship with God of the sons of Sceva
Some in ministry may find themselves exposed, beaten, and humiliated simple because they lack a personal relationship with the Lord. This happened to the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest. They attempted to cast out demons but did not know God personally. This is very dangerous! Sadly, this can happen in churches and even on the mission field—people enter spiritual battle for souls without having experienced true salvation themselves. The know about the Lord, but do not know the Lord. Let us pray that all ministries—especially when the church sends out people into God’s harvest—are carried out by those who have personally encountered the grace of God.

Dear brother and sisters, let us pray that God sends workers into His harvest! No personal ambition, not a desire to be “better” than others, not an attempt to prove something, but sincere  love for God, love for people, and a passion for spreading the Good News in this world should be what motivates us to missions in GFC!

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¹ In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Isaiah 6:1-5