Serving by Praying

Matthew 9:38 – “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Having looked at the statistics revealing the lack of laborers in the Lord’s harvest, a worker on the foreign field exclaimed, “Over 2 billion souls are still unenlightened and unclaimed for Christ! Therefore, no hardship can ever induce me to give up the idea of being a missionary while I reflect upon the vast number of needy sinners who are perishing for the lack of knowledge about Christ. Over 2 billion men, women and children! The thought impresses itself upon me wherever I go. Upon retiring, it is the last thing I have on my mind; when I awaken in the night, I meditate and pray about it, and in the morning, it is the first thing in my thoughts – Over 2 billion men, women and children without the knowledge of Christ!

An elderly Christian lady, Clara, has been bed ridden for many years. Realizing one day that our Lord’s command in Matthew 9 affords many who are laid aside by sickness a profitable avenue of service, she penned these poetic words: “If the shut-ins, all united in one voice of common prayer, what a ceaseless shower of blessing would be falling everywhere! Though so weak and helpless, they could be a mighty power, lifting up their soul’s petition to the Savior hour by hour. Never a soldier in fierce conflict could a higher honor bring then the shut-in who’s performing “secret service” for the King!”

In our text today, the Lord is speaking directly to His disciples and indirectly to every Christian concerning the desperate need for laborers in the spiritual harvest field. Every age group, every person no matter their station in life, every race and nationality even the shut-ins can be used in God’s Army as prayer warriors – asking God to send more laborers into the harvest fields of this world before it’s too late.