“He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”
(Luke 10:2)
The Harvest Is Plentiful, but the Workers Are Few
Jesus once chose seventy of those who followed Him
and sent them out two by two into every town and place.
It was then that He said,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”
There were many people who needed to hear the gospel,
but there were not enough workers.
These words often come back to me in this season of my life.
There are many Christians around me.
And yet, weighed down by the worries and cares of this world,
it feels as if they have little room left
to care about the spreading of God’s kingdom.
It is as though the gospel has been quietly pushed
out of the center of their purpose and attention.
When the Gospel Slips Down Our Priority List
We often say to ourselves,
“After I earn a bit more money…”
“After I get into this company…”
“After I pass this exam…”
“After I get married…”
“After my child grows a little older…”
When all the things that wear us down,
that demand our focus and strength, are finally solved—
when I have more time,
when I have more money,
when I am a bit healthier—
then perhaps I will serve God,
as one more item on my “to-do” list.
My husband and I also had to start a new work, a kind of planting.
If we are to live, we must work.
My husband works in a way that fits his gifts,
and I also work in ways that allow me to share the gospel,
hoping that through that work God will provide for our needs.
Because of this, if we do not pause each day—
moment by moment—
to examine the direction and purpose of our lives,
we too could end up simply running and running without stopping.
The world is full of people who live with great zeal.
But with the help of the Holy Spirit,
we must ask whether that zeal is really aimed
toward the kingdom of God.
Responding Now, Not “Someday Later”
Jesus said the harvest is plentiful.
Does that mean there are many people ready to hear the gospel?
Many who are ready to come before God?
That is how I have come to understand it.
We Christians must respond to that call
not “later,” but now.
Not after my problems are solved,
not after I have saved more money,
not after I am healthier.
God wants you and me to live
with the gospel today—now.
And He wants that gospel to flow out from us
in whatever way He gives—
through our words, through our actions,
through the posture of our lives.
We can choose to carry an intention in our hearts
to share Christ in ordinary days.
We can offer a cup of coffee
and a listening ear to a weary friend.
We can quietly pray for someone who looks exhausted.
Even that is joining in the work
of spreading the gospel of God’s kingdom.
Praying for Workers in This Generation
Jesus told His disciples,
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,
to send out workers into His harvest field.”
These words apply to us as well.
In this generation too,
we desperately need those who carry the gospel
and those who proclaim it.
We must share the story of Jesus Christ
in many places,
in many forms,
through many different kinds of lives.
My prayer is that you and I
will become workers
who refresh the heart of the Master at harvest time—
like a cup of cold water
that brings Him joy.