“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to his harvest. Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and sent them.” Matthew 9:37-10:1
As Jesus went about the cities and villages, he looked out on the weary crowds that surrounded him. An occupied people with no recourse to the injustice they bore, Jesus looked upon them with compassion. Cut to the heart by their suffering, it was then that he turned to his disciples and said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few; therefore, ask that the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Suggests author, Scott Hoezee, “When Jesus told his disciples to ask God to send more workers into the [harvest of acute human need], we can assume that the disciples prayed that God would send others to support the people as Jesus requested. But what Jesus’ disciples didn’t expect, is that God would send them.” Yes, God answered their prayers. But what they weren’t expecting, is that God’s answer to prayer, was them.
What if God’s answer to prayer, turns out to be you? What if the fact you’re overwhelmed and just plain tired of the pandemic and everything else, qualifies you all the more? What if God has more confidence in uncertain, unlikely you…then you could possibly imagine?
What if God’s answer to prayer, turns out to be you?
That is the ultimate question, isn’t it, and this is such a hard year to ask it.
Yes, this is the question. I ponder if God sends us, as much to pull us away from our temptation to despair – as to step in and minister in the wake of such pain.