Jesus's One Prayer Request

When you give prayer requests you can tell what is on your heart and mind. If a sick relative, or a need is mentioned, in work or school is mentioned it helps people know you. It helps people know what burdens you. I can tell what burdens my teens when they give prayer requests in our Wednesday night class. Here in Matthew 9 we have Jesus’s one prayer request. Although we have several of Jesus’s prayers recorded, this is the only prayer request He makes. What is it? That God would send forth laborers into His harvest. Here in Matthew Jesus is still in the more early stages of His earthly ministry. He has been baptized, tempted, and He has healed people. He also have given the Sermon on the Mount. In chapter 10, He is going to send out His twelve disciples. Which is an answer to this prayer. Because Jesus is healing and preaching, and teaching. And He sees the people and tells His disciples to pray that God would send forth laborers. We all can be praying. We all need to be praying this prayer. That God would send forth laborers into his harvest, When we see that we have 8 billion people. There is no plan B. God through His wisdom has decided to give us the privilege in using us with taking the Gospel around the world. One way is by praying. The need is great. There are countries with very few gospel preaching churches if any. There is great spiritual darkness in most of the world. We need to pray that God would send forth laborers who will shine the light of the Gospel so that this world can get saved. The need is great in all parts of the world. Yet many times we are not praying this prayer

Why do we need to pray this prayer?

The people

Jesus looked out on the multitudes and had compassion

Compassion-sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

Jude 21-22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jesus sees the need of the people

Sheep having no shepherd

Unsaved people

People who are needing to hear the Gospel

Do you have compassion on people to pray that God would send someone to reach them?

God of the universes sees the people around and has compassion.

Many times we do not have compassion.

The story is told of two liberal sociologists who were walking down the street. They saw a man lying unconscious and covered with cuts and bruises from a terrible mugging. One of the sociologists turned to his colleague and said, “Whoever did this terrible deed really needs our help.” we visited the place and there was so much spiritual darkness.

He sees the multitudes

Do you see the multitudes arounds you?

Everyone needs Christ

The need is great in our country as well as across the world. I was working for a railroad contractor in 2018-2019 when I was not sure about Bible college. I remember talking on the phone to one of the crew leaders, who had some Christian background. I know his wife was faithful in church. He was originally from near Hazard, KY, and he told me this “That everyone is so busy trying to go overseas to minister, yet there are towns being rejected.” And he was right.

The drug addict, the rebel, the partyer, the reject, the Islam, the Hindu, the Buddhist all need Christ

When we have had missionaries come to our church, who are on deputation. They would say something that

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

The problem

The laborers are few, for the multitudes

This is something that is very high today. One of the members at our church is our landlord and he is also a business owner. He always tells me that some help he just hired quit. I also have teenagers who work at different places and they tell me to pray for more people to work for them.

The harvest is plenteous-Everyone in the world is part of the harvest

The issue is that we do not have enough Christians sharing the gospel

We have only a third of the mount of missionaries when the population is 3 times larger

We do not have enough young men who are going into ministry

Is it because it is not God’s will, that it seems this prayer is not getting answered. No, this is Jesus’s prayer request

1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”

John 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

It is because people are not praying, and people are not going.

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” The key for the will of God being done in earth as it is in heaven is prayer.

Yet if we are not praying for it to be done, we cannot expect it to be done. Some people believe so much in the sovereignty of God that it makes prayer null and void, like what is the point of praying. However God wants us to pray to Him

The prayer

Our prayer is that God sends forth laborers into His Harvest

Romans 10:14-15 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

God in His wisdom has allowed us to partner with Him in seeing souls saved.

We should be praying for different parts of the world, and praying that God will send laborers,

Our prayer is that God sends forth laborers into His Harvest, today

John 4:35-38 Say not ye, Ther are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Conclusion-this world is lost and going to hell, and we need people who are praying for laborers who will reach this world with the Gospel.