01/12/17 - Matt 9

Jan 12, 2017 – Matt 9

Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field."   Matt 9:38

Instead of asking God for results, ask Him for the opportunity to serve.

Jesus is walking again with his disciples.  He’s been moving from town to town, healing people and preaching the message, inviting Matthew to join the group, and demonstrating his authority.  But the more work Jesus does, the more needs Jesus notices.  Not only are the crowds growing, the burden is growing as well. 

So Jesus does what the greatest leaders always do … He empowers others to take on the work with Him.  That would be a challenge for any organization leader because of the gap in skillset between the lead person and staff.   How much more of a gap would there be between Jesus & his disciples!  If you were worried about the results, you wouldn’t send these guys, you would send Jesus.  But results are not the first priority for Jesus.  Jesus doesn’t focus on the results, He focuses on the opportunities.  He tells the boys to pray for more workers, not for more results.  Jesus knows if you pray for more workers, then you will get more results.

This is a huge lesson for our prayer lives!  So often, our prayers are about results.  We pray for answers to health issues, relationship problems, financial needs, and personal desires.  The prayer list of a typical church is mostly about the harvest.  But that’s not what Jesus instructed us to pray for.  Certainly, those are all valid issues, and asking God for them is not wrong.  Jesus suggests a better approach to our prayers.  Don’t pray for the harvest … it’s already plentiful.  Pray for more workers … that’s where the need really lies!

Instead of praying for more days of life for your loved ones, pray for more life in their days.

Instead of praying for more out of your relationships, pray for more energy to invest in them.

Instead of praying for an increase in your finances, pray for God’s hand on how you manage them.

Instead of praying for family or friends to know Jesus, pray for more people to share Jesus with them.

Don’t just pray for the harvest.  God is already Lord of that.  Pray for more opportunities to support God’s harvest!  Pray for God to use you and many others, so that the results can happen.  Remember, it’s God’s Field already!  We don’t need more results … we need to leverage our opportunities.  Don’t worry about the results, ask Jesus for more chances to serve.