“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”-Matthew 9:38
At present, the majority of the crops here in Georgia are near, or very near harvest. At this point, even the layman can distinguish the difference between each crop because of their maturity. However, in the earlier stages of the crops, the untrained would find making this distinction very challenging. Their ability to see the field is hindered by their lack of exposure.
By contrast, the farmer can see the field. A farmer can walk into a field, look around and see what another man cannot. At a glance he can see and understand what crop he has, how far it has come, and what potential lies in it given the right conditions. He can understand when it is under stress, when it needs to grow, and what kind of work is involved to prevent weeds, pests. He has a rough timeline laid out in his mind along with an intuitive knowledge of when it is time to harvest. The farmer knows his field, and spends his days laboring in it. He can see the field. He can see the crop, he can see the potential harvest. The fields of labor are all around us. We are most likely right in the middle of it but simply cannot see. We cannot see because we have not been sitting with the Lord of the harvest. Spending time in the labor of prayer and reading the Word. In absence of this daily devotion we are tempted to adopt man’s understanding, and methods. As a result, many times we are tempted to draw our own conclusions and place boundaries around our work for the Lord. Boundaries such as, the work must be in church, it must be at youth camp, or on a mission trip. It must be with people that I feel comfortable with, or look and talk like me. It must be a work that has a clear return rate to my ministry or local church congregation. A work where I am comfortable with the work, and with the results. A work that I can control. The Apostle Peter had similar borders and boundaries around his work, he had his field of labor well defined. Until one day in prayer God showed him otherwise. God showed him that this glorious gospel was not just for Peter’s crowd, Peter’s people, it was for whosoever will. He was willing to see what God sees, and go where God said, so God widened his gaze. This is the need for us. This is why we must pray to the Lord of the harvest that he might send laborers. Laborers that have sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word. That understands the need, and can see the field. I believe that everyday the fields around us are white for harvest if we allow God to show us. It may be a word of wisdom, a prayer of intercession, an impromptu conversation that leads to sharing the gospel, a thirty second sermon in the grocery store you didn’t plan on preaching. Giving, listening, helping. So many little acts of ministry that sum to a life of light. Sharing the gospel with our lives, and our language. Holiness in our conversation. Working in the field.
We can be tempted to look at ministry like a salesman would his monthly quota. Did you close that sale? Did you win that soul? There's a fine line here, because you cannot compromise the integrity of the gospel in the pursuit of gaining numbers. You can rush to harvest an immature crop, only to find that it leaves you with bitter fruit. Yet, we must advance against the forces of Satan. When you accept that the Lord of the harvest is sending forth laborers and we are willing to be one of them, it removes a great deal of anxiety of the matter; because if you preach all your life and save your family (as Noah did), then you are as God wanted you to be. Or, if you preach one sermon and save a whole city (as Jonah did), then you are as God wanted you to be. The laborer sees the field and understands the charge from his master, and the master understands where to send forth his laborers. We all, working together, bringing in the harvest.
