Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into His harvest!

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The Lord addressed this appeal to His disciples because He knows the soul condition of every single person. Jesus did not pay attention to outward appearances, which often deceive us, impress us, and create a completely false impression before our eyes. No, the Lord saw the reality and the true state of fallen creation. He was moved by the full extent of sin, the lostness, and the misery of humanity.

Jesus traveled about, preaching the gospel and healing people of every sickness and ailment. And yet, when He saw the large crowds, He had compassion on them, for they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd (cf. Mt 9:35-38). With tireless effort, He had sown the seeds of goodness.

Now Jesus sees how much work still needs to be done. And He tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful, but there are only a few workers to continue His work. There is so much work and so few workers that they should ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers.

Sowing and reaping continue to this day. Sowing and reaping take place, day after day, until the great day of which the Lord speaks: “The harvest is the end of the age” (Mt 13:39). On that day, the Lord of the harvest himself, our Savior Jesus Christ, will send out his angels, and they will gather the last and greatest harvest (cf. Mt 13:41).

The Lord of the Harvest prepares the workers

Harvesting is the last of many steps in growing a fruit. Before the fruit can be harvested, a great deal of work must be done. The Apostle Paul explains to the Corinthians that he and Apollos planted and watered the trees (see 1 Corinthians 3:6). But the growth is God's doing.

Paul makes it clear that the next step is the harvest. It is the harvest that makes the fruit visible after the growth and flourishing, thus bringing about the first real benefit of the growth through the resulting fruit. It is the transition from growth to a fruit that can serve as food for humankind.

The harvest will bring forth the most precious thing the Lord of the Harvest possesses on earth. This refers to His church and its growth after the preparatory steps of planting and watering are completed. Before a fruit can be used for human enjoyment and strengthening, further processing steps are often necessary. This can also be described as refining.

An example of this is the grain of wheat. It is essentially already a fruit, but before it becomes the bread we eat, it must first be processed. The grain is threshed and milled. The flour is kneaded and exposed to the scorching heat of the oven. It is the same with the Christian. He is shaped, changed in his being, and prepared for service through various trials.

All these steps are important and necessary so that those godly qualities may develop and take effect in him, qualities that are needed to be an instrument in the hand of God and to be given to other people as the bread of life.

The Lord of the harvest decides whom He sends.

Only the Lord of the harvest can decide who is suited to work in the harvest and bring it in. He has equipped the workers with their skills and talents, and accordingly, He assigns them tasks. Often, however, we as Christians are very hasty in our own decisions about what work we can do in God's vineyard. Our assessment is frequently contrary to what the Lord of the harvest has intended for us.

Sometimes we try to recruit new workers for the harvest on our own, using our own efforts and perspective. But only the One who bestows talents can assign tasks to workers. And He doesn't assign them in the way we might wish. We might be eager to take on one task or another, but He equips us for the task He wants us to perform.

It is not we who decide that we should go out into the harvest, but the Lord of the harvest sends us. He does this so that we are "in the right place at the right time." So that we are where He wants us to be and where He most needs us and the gifts He has given us (cf. Isaiah 50:4). God is the one who determines, calls, and empowers. He alone is the one who entrusts gifts and ministries (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 3:6).

The right tool for every task

When Esther is summoned to the king to stand up for her people, she initially hesitates, since all who enter the king's presence without being expressly summoned are condemned to death. Mordecai then sends word to her that if she does not undertake this task, help and salvation will come to God's people from another source. He further points out that she may have been granted royal dignity precisely for this particular task now before her (cf. Esther 4:14).

Esther was God's chosen instrument at that particular time, having been prepared for this task. She was endowed with the necessary qualities and abilities to save the people of Israel. Conversely, this also means that God will always find the right instrument and the right worker for His work, even when we are not ready or in the required condition to fulfill the task assigned to us.

In God's household, there is much work to be done. And just like in any household, God has different tools, each designed for a specific task or purpose. Every tool differs in terms of the material it is made of, its shape, and its function. Because of its unique characteristics, a particular tool is especially well-suited for one task or another.

The same applies in reverse. A large sledgehammer cannot be used for fine adjustments. A poker for the fireplace is not suitable for sweeping, and a broom is unsuitable for washing dishes. Each tool fulfills its intended function, and the homeowner uses it when needed for a specific task (cf. 2 Tim 2:20).

To use a tool, however, it must be in perfect, fully functional condition. A hammer without a handle will be of little use to the homeowner. A broom with broken bristles doesn't sweep well. A poker that is too short is extremely unpleasant to use. It is essential that we, as children of God, possess the right spiritual condition so that the Lord of the harvest can use us for the building up of the body of Christ (cf. Eph 4:11-16).

We must take this concern seriously.

When we consider today's society and the people around us in the light of God's Word, we must realize with horror that the situation has worsened even further since Jesus addressed His urgent words to His disciples. Indeed, the misery of God's creation has reached such a degree that, as the Apostle Paul already describes in his second letter to Timothy, one can say: "Mankind is rushing toward certain destruction" (cf. 2 Tim 3:1-4).

Therefore, we should truly take Jesus' words seriously and continually ask Him, the Lord of the harvest, to send out workers into His harvest. This is something everyone can and should do, whether young or old, poor or wealthy, healthy or no longer in full possession of their physical strength.

Everyone can respond to this call according to the measure and ability that God gives each of them. Certainly, not everyone is called by God to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher. Yet each of us has received something from God, as Peter writes: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others” (1 Peter 4:10).

Even if you consider yourself among the smallest and least among us, even if, from a human perspective, you can do nothing great or significant, if you continually lie before God, pleading and beseeching for laborers in the harvest field, know that it is precious to God, and He cares even for the smallest thing, like the widow's mite (cf. Mark 12:42-44).

Queen Esther, in her difficult situation, was aware that she could not accomplish the task before her on her own without the prayers of her fellow brothers and sisters. Therefore, she asked Mordecai to proclaim a three-day and three-night fast to assist her in this task. All those working in God's vineyard urgently need this support in prayer and fasting, for the enemy tries by all means to prevent the harvest (cf. Eph 6:18-20).

The harvest belongs to the Lord – He grants prosperity.

The harvest was not finished with the ministry of Jesus' disciples. It is not finished today either, and it continues steadily. Jesus says: "I sent you to reap where you had not worked; others had worked, and you entered into their work" (John 4:38).

We should all always be aware that, all that remains for us to say, even if we can and are allowed to contribute to God's work, is: "We are unworthy servants; we have done what we ought to do!" (cf. Luke 17:10; 1 Corinthians 4:6-7; James 1:17). It is important to understand that everything we are and everything that defines us comes from God. He empowers us and makes us capable of doing good.

And there is one more thing we must consider. As important as it is to ask for workers for the harvest field, it is not the only thing God expects of us. God wants to see each individual willing to dedicate themselves to the service of Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are to offer our bodies to God as a living, holy, and pleasing sacrifice (cf. Romans 12:1-2), so that we may exclaim with the prophet Isaiah, “Here I am, send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

Dimitrij Hensinger

Municipality of Winnenden