“The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”–Luke 10:2
The most important task given to the followers of Jesus Christ is to take the gospel to the world. The value God places on this assignment is highlighted by the fact that the command, commonly called the Great Commission, appears at the conclusion of all four Gospel accounts, and then is repeated at the beginning of the book of Acts. However, though there is no question of the importance of the work of evangelism, an honest assessment requires us to admit that the admonition God gave Joshua near the end of his life, “There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed,” is still true today.
Why are we not making more progress with this important task? There are many reasons, but one of those is that there are not enough people actively sharing the gospel. Though it is important to work to reach the lost, the first thing Jesus commanded was for us to pray for more laborers. One of the results of this kind of prayer is that it motivates us to be faithful in our witness as well.
Indeed, the harvest of souls is great. There are billions of people around the world who have not yet even heard the gospel. A Christian with a true concern for the lost and for the work of God will pray that more people will respond to the command of Christ to share the gospel with others.Prayer is not a substitute for evangelism, but a necessary prerequisite for it.–Daily in the Word
