April 2

Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11

"He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field'." Luke 10:2

I grew up in a small town in northern Oklahoma, surrounded on all sides by miles of farm land. Our family farmed in Kay County for generations. When I was a little girl, my Grandpa Cline would take me with him as he drove dirt roads, checking the crops in each of his sections. I learned how important every step of the farming process was, and came to realize timing was everything. Once a crop is "ready", there is a very small window of time to bring in the harvest before the plants begin to decay.

One summer, a farmer was hospitalized after a terrible accident - right when it was time to begin harvesting the wheat. There was nobody to take care of his crops and it looked like he was going to lose everything. But many of the locals who were already busy taking care of their own crops, left their fields to harvest the fields of their injured friend. They saved him from financial devastation!

Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." Imagine how God must feel, working in the lives of lost people to get seeds planted, their hearts watered and fertilized, and just when they are finally open to listening --- there is nobody waiting to tell them who Jesus is and what He's done for them. What do you think happens to those people? There is a reason Jesus used the harvest metaphor. The reality is, without workers to bring in the souls, the people will perish just like a wheat crop will.

Two things I see in this passage that we should be doing. First, we are told to pray. Ask God to send out the workers. I don't begin to understand the mysteries of how prayer unlocks doors in the spiritual realm. But if we do what Jesus said and get serious with our prayers, our asking could help bring a mighty wave of revival to the world!

Next...in case you thought "asking" might let you off the hook from "working", let's take a peek at the first part of verse 3. Jesus says, "Go! I am sending you..." We are the "few" workers who have already been sent! We have much to do. Time may be running out...for your next-door neighbor, for that co-worker in the office, for a son or daughter...or any of the dozens of people you've never talked to about Jesus.

The harvest is plentiful. It's a bumper crop. Let's do all we can to make sure no one is lost!

Blessings,

Pastor Susan