And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2 NAS95)
Jesus desires to see the influence of His Kingdom expand and He requests prayer for laborers to enter the harvest. As He encourages prayer, He has 70 others present with Him, whom He is sending into the fields for an expected harvest. These 70 observed Jesus over time and noticed He recognized His Father's initiative in the lives of others. Due to His relationship with the Father, Jesus knew others were being drawn into the Kingdom by the Spirit. Jesus' prayer, though, betrays another expectation: discovery of new laborers would take place in the harvest. That discovery flows from attention to the Father's work in the harvest -- in other words from listening prayer along the way. The 70 were being sent to seek laborers by noticing the work of the Father.
Two things strike me from this passage. First, Jesus encourages prayer for laborers from the harvest as He sends people into the harvest. The intent of the request refocuses prayer to attending to the presence of God and His work along the way, not just in the closet. Prayer, then, notices what God is doing, seeking His designs, desires and His drawing of others into the Kingdom. Second, Jesus fully expected His Father's efforts to be apparent to those whom He was sending. Imagine that! Oh how I long to grow in the ability to see the work of God in the people around me that He is drawing to Himself. May we pray that God would open our eyes to His work as we go through each day.
God deeply desires to give Himself away in blessing to us and those around us.
For Reflection:
“God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.” (Psalms 67:7 NAS95)
- What sort of things distract you from prayerful attention to your heavenly Father as you go through you day?
- How easy or difficult is it for you to let go of your own agenda and enter the Father’s, when you notice the Spirit’s activity around you?
