Women’s Prayer Team - Week 35
This past Sunday, Pastor Grant shared with us, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, a call to hear and learn more about the words and heart of Jesus.
We were challenged to obey the Lord's command on each of His children's lives to help those we come into contact with to find and follow Jesus. Christ gave us this clear command in Scripture commonly referred to as The Great Commission:
Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
This verse shows us the heart of Jesus - to reach the nations and to bring them to a relationship with Him. Jesus gave us Scripture to have a view in to understanding His heart and when we spend time in His Word, we can clearly see Christ's heart for people.
Matthew 9:35-36
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom,
and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them,
because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
A little background on this passage: Jesus was with His disciples. He was going from city to city preaching the Gospel. As they traveled, Jesus was also healing all kinds of sicknesses and diseases as He met many people along the way. When Jesus looked at all the crowds of people, He felt compassion for them. When He saw the men and women, the boys and the girls, He felt compassion. What does that mean? It can mean concern for the sufferings and problems of other people. Jesus was concerned for the people not only because of their physical sufferings, and their sicknesses and diseases, but also for their spiritual sufferings. They were scattered abroad, like sheep without a shepherd. They didn’t know who to follow or where to go. They didn’t seem to have anyone to take care of them.
Jesus told His disciples in verse 37,
Matthew 9:37
Then He said to His disciples,
“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
What did Jesus mean by this? My wonderful father-in-law, who is now enjoying the splendor of heaven with our Savior, was a farmer all of his life. Year after year, he would plant seeds and wait for them to grow. The time would come every fall when the plants would be ready to be picked or harvested. What would have happened if Mr. Dyson would not have gotten in his John Deere combine to bring in all the crops? They would have eventually all died and withered away in the field and the grain would have been wasted. In these verses, Jesus was comparing the people that He saw to a field that was ready to be harvested or picked.
The people in the world today are part of that harvest. “The harvest is plentiful” means that the harvest is large. There are billions of people who need to know Jesus. They need to know that Jesus died in their place for their sins, that He was buried, and that He rose from the dead on the third day. We need to get this Good News to them before it’s too late, so they can be forgiven of their sins and be with Jesus one day. The laborers are the ones that go to get the harvest. We call them missionaries, because they are those who are going out into the harvest fields to tell others about Jesus so they can go to Heaven one day. After all of this, here’s what Jesus told His disciples to do:
Matthew 9:38
Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
PRAYER TIP #35 – Pray for more to say "yes!" to God's Call to go into the Harvest.
We need to pray to Jesus, the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send more workers into His harvest. Where exactly is this harvest? The harvest is anywhere in the world there are people who are scattered abroad, or fainting, like sheep with no shepherd. It can be down the street, or around the world. As followers of Jesus, we need to pray for more workers or laborers to take the Good News to the world.
One of my most favorite heroes of the faith that I have enjoyed reading about is a man named C.T. Studd. He was saved as a young man. He was a famous cricket player of his time, and was from a very wealthy family. He gave his life to Christ to be used however God wanted, and eventually became a missionary to China, India, and then the country of Congo in Africa. He is famous for saying,
“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
When asked why he wanted to serve the Lord as a missionary he replied, “If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” What an incredible way to live - surrendered to the One who gave it all for us!
This past Sunday's message and emphasis challenged my heart to pray for the words and heart of Jesus to be so real in my life and in my every thought that I can't help but see those around me and want them to know that Jesus Christ is God and died for them - so nothing that we could ever sacrifice could be too great or too much to do for Him! If we lived our lives with this knowledge as part of our words and part of our heart's desires, I can't help but think of how much smaller the harvest would become - because only what is done in His Name will last. My challenge is to make the harvest smaller for His Name's sake! Be a laborer in the harvest right where you are, in every moment! Let's make His Name and His renown famous.
Prayer Points:
Lord, I ask that You would do what only You can do and speak to hearts to serve You on the mission field.
Jesus, help me to serve You where I am until You show me a different way that I can serve You.
Father, give me a Heart for Your Word and Your Commission to tell the nations of Your love.
Lord, we pray for more laborers for the harvest. We pray for people to answer Your call!
Suggested Prayer - Pray these words in your heart or out loud:
Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, and ask that You would do what only You can do and speak to hearts to serve You on the mission field. Jesus, help me to serve You where I am until You show me a different way that I can serve You - that if that place is on the foreign field, that I would be willing to go! If that call is on the life of someone from my family, that I would be their biggest prayer warrior and encourager. Father, give me a heart for Your Word and Your commission to tell those around me and those across this world about You and what You did for us on the cross. That You were buried and that You rose again for us! Lord, I pray for more laborers for the harvest. I pray that more would answer Your call and that the harvest will grow smaller and smaller with each laborer that says "yes!' to Your calling in their lives. Thank You for loving us and for allowing us to be apart of Your plan. I know that You don't need me to do Your plan, but thank You for wanting me! In the precious and holy Name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Because of His Grace,
Amanda Dyson
amanda@mid-way.com
Mid-Way Baptist Church
Flourish Women's Ministry