Reading Plan:
Luke 10


Our Thoughts:
Jesus was sending out disciples to be a part of His mission. There wasn't much more time until Jesus was going to be crucified. For every town to hear the good news that Jesus was proclaiming, He would have to send out more disciples. The fact that Jesus, the Son of God, would entrust ordinary unschooled disciples to carry out His mission is incredible. If we aren’t careful, I think we can miss what I believe is a key statement.

Before Jesus told them to go, He told them to pray. There was a huge mission in front of this group. These were some of the first disciples of Jesus. No wonder Jesus said the harvest was truly great. Most of the world at this point had never even heard of Jesus, let alone that He was the promised Messiah. It also makes sense that the laborers were few. He was in fact sending out seventy-two to reach the world around them. Even with all of that in mind, Jesus commands them to pray before He sent them. The work that was ahead of them could not be accomplished devoid of prayer. Pray to the Lord of harvests. He urges them to depend on God. He urges them to be people of prayer. He urges them to pray to the Father. Jesus wants them to plead with God to send out workers and people who are ready to do the work of the Father. Jesus also teaches here that the harvest is the Lord’s.

While the message of “Christ crucified” has made its way around more of the world than at the time when Jesus walked the earth, this parable still holds true. The harvest is plentiful. We can all think of family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, or teammates who don’t know Jesus. Even more so, there are over 7,000 unreached people groups in the world. There are still very few workers. The church needs people of prayer, people who will say, “Lord of harvests, you are a blessing. Send me where You may so that You may be glorified.” We don’t want to be people who go out to do our best and then wonder what went wrong. And I also think there's a better way than thinking, “I just need to pray and ask the Lord to bless this work for my glory.” While I believe God can still work mightily, I also believe He has so much more in mind for us. We can live FOR God, asking Him to bless the things we've done in our own power, or we can live FROM God and rely on His direction and power. Ultimately, being a laborer for His kingdom isn’t about our efforts or our glory; Jesus calls us to pray and rely on Him.

The church is at its best when it is on its knees. The mission of God will advance when the people of God get on their knees to pray. Spend the next five minutes on your knees asking God to prepare you for the plans He has for you.


More Questions:
• Do you live from God or for God? (Pray first or act and then pray?)
• What steps do you need to take so that you can live from God instead of just for God?

Prayer:
Lord of harvests, we praise You because You are in control. Let Your name be glorified and not our own. Help us to become people of prayer. Help us to live from You and not just for You. Help us to pray, then act instead of act and then pray. Lord, you alone are good. Amen.

Author: Cooper Herrington